Growth Hormone: A Secret Weapon Against Chicken Virus?

Ever heard of growth hormone (GH)? It's like a superhero in chickens, helping them grow, mature, and stay healthy. But there's a villain out there called avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), a nasty virus that makes chickens sick, stops them from growing, and even causes tumors. Scientists wondered if GH could fight this virus. They found that when chickens get ALV-J, their GH levels go way up. This might be because GH is trying to stop the virus from spreading. When GH was given to chicken cells with the virus, it made them express more proteins that fight infections, like interferons. It also changed how the cells grew and died. The most interesting part? GH seems to activate a special pathway called PI3K/Akt. This pathway helps GH control the virus's spread and how the cells behave. So, GH might be a secret weapon against ALV-J, showing how growth and immunity are connected in chickens.