REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Comparative Immunology
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Nucleated Erythrocytes' Role in Poultry and Aquaculture Immunity and ProductionView all articles
Immune Functions of Avain Erythrocytes: A Comprehensive Review from Basic Biology to Pathogen-Induced Responses
Provisionally accepted
- 1Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics, Hohhot, China
- 2Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
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Avian erythrocytes, traditionally perceived as mere oxygen transporters, are increasingly acknowledged as integral components of the immune system. Unlike enucleated erythrocytes of mammals, avian erythrocytes retain functional nuclei and organelles, allowing them to produce immune molecules like cytokines and antimicrobial peptides essential for pathogen recognition and clearance. This review provides a comprehensive elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the immune functions of avian erythrocytes and their responses to infections induced by viruses, bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, and parasites. Through a systematic analysis of literature spanning the past 16 years, we synthesize evidence regarding the involvement of avian erythrocytes in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, oxidative stress responses, phagocytosis, immune adhesion, and apoptosis-mediated immune evasion. We further demonstrate their pivotal role in anti-infective immunity, underscoring their ability to synthesize and secrete immune molecules, effectively capture and eliminate pathogens, and precisely regulate inflammatory responses and immune homeostasis. Finally, we identify existing knowledge gaps and underscore the necessity for further research to fully elucidate erythrocyte-mediated immune mechanisms and their potential applications in the prevention and control of avian diseases.
Keywords: Avian erythrocytes, Immune responses, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), Cytokines, Oxidative Stress, Phagocytosis, Immune Evasion, pathogen recognition
Received: 29 Jul 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 CAI and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yuzhen Wang, wangyuzhen@imau.edu.cn
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