Unique chicken line advances research on autoimmune disease
A unique chicken breed is helping researchers better understand vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that affects 1 to 2% of the world’s population.
In vitiligo (pronounced vit-ih-LIE-go) the immune system attacks cells called melanocytes, causing skin pigment to disappear. The effects are more than skin deep. Gisela Erf, professor of immunology with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, studies the disease using a rare vitiligo-prone chicken breed called the Smyth line, the only animal model for vitiligo that shares all the characteristics of the human condition. These include the spontaneous loss of melanocytes, interactions between genetic, environmental and immunological factors that drive disease expression and associations with other autoimmune diseases.
The study identified the immune mechanisms behind the onset of vitiligo, which could one day inform the development of effective preventative and therapeutic measures for humans.
