The Role of Animal Biotechnology in IgY Production andthe Treatment of Disease

Biotechnology, often referred to as the "technology of hope", as a multidisciplinary field, involves themanipulation of cells or cell-derived molecules for diverse applications. One of the subcategorieswithin the field of biotechnology is animal biotechnology, through the application of biotechnology,animals have undergone genetic enhancements, rendering them resilient to diseases and subsequentlyelevating the production levels of commodities such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. One of theexamples of animal biotechnology is the production of antibodies, especially polyclonal antibodies, byimmunizing laboratory animals to create immune responses and collecting serum or yolk containingthe desired antibody. Egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) is one of the important and useful proteinssynthesized through animal biotechnology. IgY with a molecular weight of ۱۸۰ kDa is the mainantibody of birds, amphibians, and reptiles, known as the homologue of mammalian IgG. The uniquestructural and molecular features of IgY have caused it to be used in the fields of diagnosis, preventionand treatment in human and veterinary medicine. Therefore, in this review, the keywords including“egg yolk immunoglobulin” or “IgY” and “animal biotechnology” and “antibody production” weresearched on the different databases, and the role of animal biotechnology in IgY production and thetreatment of disease was investigated. In conclusion, IgY technology leads to the production of eggyolk antibody in a non-invasive, cost-effective, easy and high-volume production with uniquefunctional properties against antigens. IgY technology can be used to treat livestock diseases such asmastitis and diarrhea, poultry diseases such as salmonella and infectious bursal disease and Newcastledisease, human diseases.

Keywords:

Animal biotechnology , Antibacterial activity , Antibody , Antiviral activity , Egg yolkImmunoglobulin Y