The equine immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work collaboratively to defend against pathogens and maintain homeostasis. It consists of innate and adaptive components, each with distinct functions and mechanisms. The innate immune system provides the first line of defense through physical barriers, phagocytic cells, and the complement system. The adaptive immune system involves lymphocytes, such as B cells and T cells, which generate specific responses to antigens and provide immunological memory. Research in equine immunology explores the interactions between these components, the impact of genetic and environmental factors on immune function, and the development of vaccines and therapeutics. This page gathers peer-reviewed studies and scholarly articles focusing on the mechanisms, regulation, and clinical applications of the equine immune system in health and disease.
Houle JJ, Hoffmann EM.A passive hemolysis assay system was developed which permitted comparisons of the hemolytic activities of complement (C) from six species. This system employs a single antigen and an antiserum raised in one species. Thus, variations resulting from different target antigens and those inherent in using antibodies (of different affinities and isotypes) raised in a variety of species were minimized. Of the erythrocytes (E) examined, those from horses and guinea pigs were most susceptible to lysis, and either would be suitable, as a tentative choice, for measuring C activity of a previously unstudi...
Nishita T, Matsushita H, Kai M.The location of carbonic anhydrase III (CA-III) in frozen sections of biopsies of Thoroughbred horse skeletal muscle was studied. Fibre types were determined by ATP-ase and succinate dehydrogenase staining. CA-III isozyme was detected using a peroxidase conjugated anti-CA-III antibody. CA-III was found to be localised in slow twitch oxidative fibres (ST), but was also present in fast twitch oxidative (FTH) fibres in small amounts. Fast twitch glycolytic (FT) fibres were stained lightly compared with control sections. The concentrations of CA-III in muscle and liver were 70 micrograms/mg protei...
Fu ZF, Denby L, Lien DH, Robinson AJ.An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of antibodies against equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) in equine sera. The optimal conditions of antigen concentration, and serum and conjugate dilutions were established by chequerboard titrations. When the standard ELISA test was used for titration of test sera, it was found to give titres approximately 1500 times higher than those obtained in the virus neutralization (VN) test, and a correlation coefficient of 0.815 was obtained between these two tests on 42 equine sera. All the positive serum samples by ...
Morris DD, Whitlock RH.Equine antiserum to core lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was evaluated in a double-blind prospective study for therapeutic benefit in suspected septicemia in neonatal foals. Forty foals younger than 7 days of age were included in the study by satisfaction of clinical and laboratory criteria, suggestive of gram-negative septicemia. Twenty-two foals were treated with core LPS antiserum (plasma produced from horses which were hyperimmunized with rough gram-negative mutant bacterin) and 18 foals received "nonimmune" plasma (from horses prior to immunization against core LPS). All foals received antimicro...
Clegg JB.A new member (theta 1, or psi alpha) of the alpha-globin gene family has recently been identified in a number of species. In higher primates the theta 1 gene has all the structural features apparently necessary for expression, and it appears to have long been under strong selective constraints which suggests that it could still be, or recently have been, a functional gene. No corresponding 'globin' has yet been identified, however. In some other species, galago and rabbit for example, the theta 1 and psi alpha genes have accumulated enough inactivating mutations for them to be considered genui...
Matthews SM, Joysey VC.Fifteen equine leucocyte antigens were defined by absorption and titration analysis of alloantisera obtained by natural sensitisation through pregnancy and by planned experimental immunisation. Definitive sera were tested on the cells of 90 unrelated horses and members of eight equine families. The family data suggested that 13 specificities were coded by a single locus (first locus) and one specificity (Eq 14) was coded by a second linked locus. The remaining specificity (Eq 7) was controlled by a third locus unlinked to the first or second loci. Tests on the cells of unrelated horses showed ...
Watson ED, Stokes CR, Bourne FJ.The influence of arachidonic acid metabolites on migration of equine neutrophils under agarose was investigated. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was chemotactic at concentrations between 0.1 and 1000 ng ml-1 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) at 1 and 10 ng ml-1 but not at higher or lower concentrations. Prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) was not chemotactic for equine neutrophils at any concentration. Random migration was significantly inhibited (P less than 0.05) by suspension of neutrophils in LTB4 (0.1 to 1000 ng ml-1) and PGF2 alpha (0.1 ng ml-1) but not at high concentrations. There was a significant po...
McDonald J, Gall R, Wiedenbach P, Bass VD, DeLeon B, Brockus C, Stobert D, Wie S, Prange CA, Yang JM.We investigated the use of particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay (PCFIA) as a technique for drug detection in racing horses. The test was constructed from an antiserum to a carboxyfentanyl-BSA conjugate and carboxyfentanyl linked to b-Phycoerythrin. Using these reagents and a PCFIA apparatus levels of fentanyl as low as 0.1 ng/ml could be detected by the assay. In addition, cross-reactivity studies on this assay showed that the anti-serum cross-reacted well with carfentanil, sufentanil and the methylated analogs of fentanyl. We therefore evaluated the ability of these agents to produ...
Mair TS, Batten EH, Stokes CR, Bourne FJ.The distribution of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue along the equine respiratory tract was surveyed in light microscopical sections. Intra-epithelial lymphocytes and similar cells scattered in the lamina propria were identified in all sites from the nasal vestibule to bronchioles of 2 to 4 mm diameter. Isolated lymphoid patches, occasionally with nodules, were common in bronchioles, but the density of this bronchiole-associated lymphoid tissue (BRALT) varied between individual horses. Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) was infrequently encountered. In the upper respiratory tract, nod...
Watson ED, Stokes CR, Bourne FJ.Both random and directional migration of blood neutrophils from 9 mares susceptible to persistent endometritis were significantly less (p less than 0.05) than neutrophils from 8 resistant mares. Serum from susceptible mares had significantly more (p less than 0.01) chemotactic activity than serum from resistant mares. Although phagocytosis of yeast blastospores by blood neutrophils from 4 resistant and 3 susceptible mares was similar, uterine neutrophils from susceptible mares were significantly worse (p less than 0.01) at phagocytosis than uterine neutrophils from resistant mares. Uterine was...
Cooper HM, Jemmerson R, Hunt DF, Griffin PR, Yates JR, Shabanowitz J, Zhu NZ, Paterson Y.Comparative binding studies with peptide fragments of the whole antigen, or with evolutionarily related intact proteins with varying degrees of sequence homology, have been used extensively to map antigenic sites on proteins to the resolution of single amino acid residues. These methods are limited, however, since high affinity antibodies will often not react with peptides and evolutionarily related proteins are available for only a few antigens. In this study we use site-directed chemical modification of horse cytochrome c to identify residues involved in the binding sites of four monoclonal ...
Woolcock JB, Mutimer MD, Bowles PM.Normal horses of all ages regularly show evidence of having responded immunologically to R. equi, thus adding serological support to epidemiological evidence that this organism is a normal intestinal inhabitant. More animals from "diseased" farms show a stronger antibody response when compared with foals from "healthy" farms. Various serological tests have been used to detect evidence of infection and to relate antibody level to severity of disease. Anti-R. equi IgG antibody levels, as measured by ELISA, are raised significantly during natural infection. Clinical severity of pneumonia can be c...
Hietala SK, Ardans AA.The interaction of Rhodococcus equi with alveolar macrophages from adult horses, foals experimentally exposed to R. equi (sensitized foals) and non-exposed foals was studied using in vitro bactericidal assays, cytochemical staining and transmission electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that R. equi is a facultative intracellular parasite, able to survive and multiply within the alveolar macrophages of the host by interfering with phagosome-lysosome fusion. Opsonization of R. equi with antibody against capsular components was associated with increased phagosome-lysosome fusion and significan...
Takai S, Kawazu S, Tsubaki S.Humoral immune response to Rhodococcus equi in experimentally infected foals was studied with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Class-specific antibodies were measured by ELISA in the sera of foals after intratracheal or oral inoculation with R. equi ATCC 6939 or T 48 and in the lung washings of a foal after intratracheal inoculation or of normal horses. After intratracheal or oral inoculation with R. equi, serum antibodies were first detected in immunoglobulin G (IgG) followed by IgM and IgA classes, but significant levels of IgM and IgA developed only in the foal infected...
Martens RJ, Martens JG, Renshaw HW, Hietala SK.The opsonic capacity of serum containing R. equi-specific antibody was compared with antibody-deficient sera using luminol-dependent chemilumenscence (LDCL) and bactericidal assays. These assays incorporated peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes (PMNL) exposed to R. equi opsonized with neonatal equine pre-colostral serum (control) or serum from foals with R. equi infections (principal). All sera were complement inactivated at 56 degrees C for 30 min. Bacteria were obtained from the lung of a foal with R. equi pneumonia. Neutrophils were obtained from one adult horse for LD...
Yager JA, Duder CK, Prescott JF, Zink MC.Polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMNL) from 8 healthy foals (2-14 weeks of age) and 2 foals with bacterial pneumonia were separated from whole blood using a 2 step Percoll gradient. Purified PMNL were tested for bactericidal function against Rhodococcus equi and Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of normal horse serum. The percentage uptake after a 15-min pre-incubation of PMNL and bacteria was also calculated. Ultrastructural examination of the interaction of R. equi and normal foal PMNL was performed after 15 min incubation. Results indicated that foal PMNL effectively phagocytose...
Waelchli RO, Winder NC.Endometrial biopsies were obtained from four mares during consecutive oestrous cycles on the first day of oestrus, on the day when ovulation was detected, and four and eight days after ovulation. Cycle stages were confirmed by means of rectal palpation, ultrasonography and plasma progesterone determination. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the formalin fixed biopsy specimens was performed using a peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique. Immunoglobulin (Ig)A-, IgM-, IgG(Fc)- and IgG(T)-containing cells were detected in all biopsies; with IgA- and IgG(Fc)-containing cells generally predominating. ...
Adelmann-Grill BC, Otto K.A haemostatic agent and wound dressing made of horse collagen (Tachotop) was applied to guinea-pigs in such a way that the intended use of this material in humans was simulated, and cell-mediated and humoral immune responses of the animals were investigated. In addition, immune reactions were forcefully induced in guinea-pigs in order to validate the methodical approach and quantitate the observed reactions. Cell-mediated immunity was measured as delayed-type hypersensitivity skin reactions, and antibodies were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Simulation of the intende...
Magnuson NS, Perryman LE, Wyatt CR, Mason PH, Talmadge JE.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from foals with hereditary severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) have morphologic characteristics of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). Attempts to demonstrate cytotoxic activity were without success unless the LGL were incubated with 100 U of human recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL 2)/ml for 24 hr. With rIL 2 incubation, low effector to target ratios (10:1) consistently yielded high levels of cytotoxic activity (30 to 50%) in a standard 4-hr 51Cr-release assay using YAC-1 lymphoma or K562 erythroleukemia cell lines as targets. Monoclonal antibody EqT12 reacted...
Chirino-Trejo JM, Prescott JF.The antigens extracted from strains belonging to seven capsular serotypes of Rhodococcus equi, as well as from two wild strains isolated from pneumonic foals, were examined. Whole-cell antigens and soluble products present in broth culture supernatants were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, electroblotted onto nitrocellulose, and stained with serum from hyperimmunized rabbits or foals. Foal sera used included sera from pneumonic animals with known titer to equi factors; from animals bled monthly on a farm with enzootic pneumonia, and from animals bled mont...
Blue JT, Dinsmore RP, Anderson KL.Three horses developed severe, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia after treatment with penicillin. The horses had positive direct antiglobulin (Coombs) tests and high titers of IgG antibody that agglutinated penicillin-coated equine red cells. Two of the horses were tested for antibodies to autologous red cell antigens; autoantibodies were not present. Titers of antipenicillin antibody decreased after penicillin was discontinued but IgG antibody was detectable months after recovery. One of the horses was challenged with penicillin; antibody titer increased slightly, but anemia did not develop. A...
Smith HJ, Snowdon KE.Light Trichinella infections were established in three ponies given 1000, 5000 and 25000 T. spiralis spiralis infective larvae respectively by stomach tube. A predilection site of infection in all ponies was the tongue. Anti-Trichinella antibodies were detected in all ponies by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a T. spiralis spiralis excretory-secretory antigen. The ponies given 5000 and 25000 infective larvae reacted positively on days 26 and 24 postinfection, respectively, using a criterion of greater than or equal to 5 X mean optical density readings of preinfection sera as positi...
Matteri RL, Baldwin DM, Lasley BL, Papkoff H.Previous studies from this laboratory have described the properties of purified luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from horse and donkey anterior pituitary glands. The present study afforded the opportunity to further characterize these previously purified hormone preparations and to compare them with enriched gonadotropin fractions from zebra pituitary glands. Although a single LH and FSH fraction was usually obtained for each pool of pituitaries, two separate zebra LH and two donkey FSH preparations were generated. Purified hormone preparations from the horse wer...
Cook AG, Maxwell VB, Donaldson LL, Parker NA, Ward DL, Morrow JK.To determine whether antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona could be detected in CSF from clinically normal neonatal (2 to 7 days old) and young (2 to 3 months old) foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 15 clinically normal neonatal Thoroughbred foals. Methods: Serum and CSF samples were obtained from foals at 2 to 7 days of age and tested for antibodies against S. neurona by means of western blotting. Serum samples from the mares were also tested for antibodies against S. neurona. Additional CSF and blood samples were obtained from 5 foals between 13 and 41 days after birth and between ...
Dunkel B, Rickards KJ, Werling D, Page CP, Cunningham FM.To determine whether expression of equine platelet activation-dependent surface markers is influenced by phospodiesterase (PDE) isoenzyme activity and whether antigen challenge alters platelet PDE activity in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Methods: 16 horses. Methods: 7 healthy horses were used for in vitro experiments, 6 horses with RAO were used for antigen challenge, and 6 healthy horses were used as control animals. Three of the healthy horses had also been used in the in vitro experiments. Effects of PDE inhibition and activation of adenylyl cyclase on CD41/61 and CD62P e...
Deem DA, Traver DS, Thacker HL, Perryman LE.Immunologic deficiency was suspected in an 18-month-old Standardbred horse with persistent fever, multifocal bacterial infection, and neutropenia with a large number of immature neutrophils. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed marked depression of the gamma-globulin fraction (0.2 g/100 ml). Immunologic testing and histologic examination of lymphoid tissues identified the immune deficit as agammaglobulinemia. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgG(T) were initially low and declined with time; IgM and IgA were not detectable. The horse failed to produce antibodies when inoculate...
Knottenbelt DC.Twenty-four foals were confirmed to be infected with Rhodococcus equi on a private stud in Zimbabwe over a two-year period. Six mares had foals which were affected in each of the two years. All the foals were febrile and early cases were detected by this pyrexia. Bronchopneumonia was only clinically detectable in advanced cases. In spite of energetic hygiene measures relating to pasture and housing management, the incidence was higher in the second year (23 per cent of foals born) than in the first (15 per cent of foals born). The mean age of the foals was significantly greater in the second y...
Mazzei M, Savini G, Di Gennaro A, Macchioni F, Prati MC, Guzmàn LR, Tolari F.West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae included in the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex (JEAC). A seroepidemiological study was carried out in 2011 using 160 horse sera collected from different areas of Bolivia to investigate the presence of WNV antibody. A high proportion (59.4%) of the tested sera were positive to a commercially available WNV competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA). Sixty-six randomly selected C-ELISA-positive sera were further tested by WNV plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), virus neutralization ...
Grulke S, Deby-Dupont G, Gangl M, Franck T, Deby C, Serteyn D.Shock is accompanied by generalised splanchnic hypoperfusion, and splanchnic organs like the pancreas can be damaged, as shown in animal experimental models and in humans, by the presence of high plasma concentrations of trypsin and other pancreatic enzymes. In order to design a radioimmunoassay technique (RIA) for the measurement of equine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) in biological fluids, trypsin was purified (with purity > or = 96%) from the equine pancreas by extraction in an acid medium, ammonium sulfate precipitations, gel filtration chromatography and, after activation of tryp...
Couture L, Lemonnier JP, Troalen F, Roser JF, Bousfield GR, Bellet D, Bidart JM.The equine (e) placental glycoprotein hormone eCG plays a critical though not completely understood role during the first trimester of gestation in mares. In the present work, we have developed immunoradiometric assays (m-IRMAs) for detection of eCG, eCG alpha, and eCG beta using combinations of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for epitopes that reside on free and/or combined subunits. The free eCG alpha m-IRMA was based on AHT20 mAb, specific for the free alpha-subunit of all species, and 125I-labeled ECG01 mAb, which recognizes both free and combined alpha-subunit from equine and primat...
The Journal of parasitologyNovember 26, 2004
Volume 90, Issue 5 1027-1033 doi: 10.1645/0022-3395(2004)090[1027:AEOARB]2.0.CO;2
Gupta GD, Lakritz J, Saville WJ, Livingston RS, Dubey JP, Middleton JR, Marsh AE.Sarcocystis neurona is the primary parasite associated with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). This is a commonly diagnosed neurological disorder in the Americas that infects the central nervous system of horses. Current serologic assays utilize culture-derived parasites as antigen. This method requires large numbers of parasites to be grown in culture, which is labor intensive and time consuming. Also, a culture-derived whole-parasite preparation contains conserved antigens that could cross-react with antibodies against other Sarcocystis species and members of Sarcocystidae such as Neo...
Crawford AM, Mills JN.Venoms of the tiger snake and brown snake were procoagulant, in vitro, when tested with cat, dog, horse and wallaby plasma. In the absence of calcium and phospholipid the coagulant activity of tiger snake venom was minimal. In contrast, brown snake venom alone had marked procoagulant activity. This activity, however, was enhanced by the presence of calcium and phospholipid. Death adder venom exerted an anticoagulant effect. Apparent species' differences in susceptibility to the coagulant venoms were noted. However, the probable explanation of these differences was attributed to variation in th...
Adolf GR, Traxler E, Maurer-Fogy I.Equine interferon-beta 1 (EqIFN-beta 1) was purified from extracts of recombinant Escherichia coli by sequential chromatography on hydroxylapatite, anion-, and cation-exchangers. The resulting protein was greater than 98% pure as determined by sodium dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis, gel permeation HPLC, and reverse-phase HPLC. Amino-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed that essentially all molecules contained an additional amino-terminal methionine. The specific antiviral activity of EqIFN-beta 1 determined on equine dermal fibroblasts challenged with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was...
Smith IM, Girard A, Corner AH, Mitchell D.Using two known positive equine viral rhinopneumonitis (EVR) sera, conjugates were prepared with fluorescein isothiocyanate and tested for specificity using EVR infected tissue culture cells. The conjugate was then applied to selected tissues from 32 aborted fetuses and foals submitted during a natural outbreak of EVR. Antigen was detected in various tissues by immunofluorescence in 20 cases (62.5%). In 24 cases bovine fetal kidney cell monolayers were inoculated with a pool of lung and liver and EVR virus was isolated from 15 (62.5%). Histological examination of various tissues from 29 cases ...
Sykes BW, Furr M, Giguère S.Twelve healthy horses were assigned to treatment or control groups. Treated horses received PGG-Glucan[ED-1] (1 mg/kg, IV) 24 hours prior to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) isolation. PBMCs were isolated and incubated in the presence of lipopolysachharide (LPS). At 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours messenger RNA (mRNA) was extracted. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed and cytokine mRNA expression for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) determined using real time PCR. A si...
Mori S, Horita A, Ginnaga A, Miyatsu Y, Sawabe K, Matsumura T, Ato M, Yamamoto A, Shibayama K, Arai S, Yamagishi T, Takahashi M, Taki H, Hifumi T.This is the first report on large-scale experimental production of an equine antivenom against the redback spider (Latrodectus hasseltii) lived in Japan. We captured 10,000 redback spiders in Japan and prepared the toxoids of crude venom extract, mixed the toxoids with a mineral oil adjuvant, and immunized healthy horses repeatedly over a period of several weeks. Thereafter, we separated the horse plasma, purified the γ-globulin fraction, and stocked it as a purified antivenom concentrate. Consequently, we manufactured approximately 6,500 vials of a single-dose freeze-dried test lot from a po...
Eizema K, van der Wal DE, van den Burg MM, de Jonge HW, Everts ME.During early postnatal development, the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression pattern in equine gluteus medius muscle shows adaptation to movement and load,resulting in a decrease in the number of fast MyHC fibers and an increase in the number of slow MyHC fibers. In the present study we correlated the expression of MyHC isoforms to the expression of sarcoplasmic(endo)reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 1 and 2a (SERCA), phospholamban (PLB), calcineurin A (CnA), and calcineurin B (CnB). Gluteus medius muscle biopsies were taken at 0, 2, 4, and 48 weeks and analyzed using immunofluorescence. Both SERCA isofor...
Porter RM, Akers RM, Howard RD, Forsten-Williams K.Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which have opposing effects on matrix metabolism within articular cartilage, are thought to play prominent roles in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. To better understand the link between these anabolic (IGF-I) and catabolic (IL-1) stimuli, we examined exogenous IL-1 regulation of the IGF-I signaling system of articular chondrocytes (ACs). Equine ACs from non-arthritic stifle joints were expanded in monolayer culture, encapsulated for 10 days in alginate beads, and stimulated as high-density monolayers with recombinant equine IL-...
Bull RW.Six equine lymphocyte alloantigen (ELA) specificities were defined by an international antiserum comparison test and workshop held in 1981. Twelve laboratories from four countries submitted 195 antisera for analysis. The antisera were exchanged among the 12 laboratories and tested in a standard lymphocyte microcytoxicity assay against the isolated lymphocytes at 1009 horses of several breeds. The data was pooled and analysed by a single computer analysis. The calculated chi 2 values of all cells with all antisera provided comparisons between antisera. Fifteen antisera clusters were formed by t...
Lee GKC, Kang H, Beeler-Marfisi J, Sears W, Lillie BN, Bienzle D.Salivary scavenger and agglutinin (SALSA) is a secreted protein with various immunomodulatory roles. In humans, the protein agglutinates and inactivates microorganisms, and inhibits the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Saliva, which is rich in SALSA, accelerates bacterial phagocytosis, but SALSA's contribution is unclear. In horses, the functions of SALSA in inflammation remain undetermined, so they were investigated through phagocytosis and cytokine assays. Equine SALSA was purified from duodenal tissue, which contains abundant SALSA. To assess phagocytosis, fluorescently-labelled bacte...
Sokołowska J, Cywińska A, Puchalska M.The number, morphology, and distribution of C thyrocytes within the thyroid gland vary among species; however, studies in domestic animals are limited. In this study we compared the morphology, distribution pattern, and percentage of C thyrocytes in four domestic species: dogs, pigs, horses, and cattle. Eighty thyroid glands, 20 per species, were examined. C thyrocytes were visualized immunohistochemically with anti-calcitonin rabbit polyclonal antibody alone and combined with the periodic acid Schiff method to simultaneously visualize C thyrocytes with the basement membranes of thyroid follic...
Hesford F, Lazary S, Curty-Hänni K, Gerber H.A number of horse alloantisera were characterized biochemically as being directed against MHC class I or class II antigens by immunoprecipitation of the corresponding antigens from lysates of biosynthetically radioactively labelled lymphocytes and determination of their molecular weights by SDS-PAGE and fluorography. Sera recognizing A2 and A3 specificities precipitated antigens of 44,000 Daltons molecular weight (class I heavy chain), whereas sera with specificities W13, W22 and W23 precipitated antigens corresponding to class II dimers (30,000 and 32,000 Daltons). Comparison with antigens pr...
Frisbie DD, Sandler EA, Trotter GW, McIlwraith CW.To determine response of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha)-conditioned equine articular cartilage explants to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Sample Population-Cartilage from the trochlea and condyles of the femur of a clinically normal 4-year-old horse. Methods: Effects of IGF-1 (0 to 500 ng/ml) after addition of IL-1alpha were evaluated by assessing matrix responses, using a sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) assay, matrix 35SO4 GAG incorporation, and release of GAG. Mitogenic response was assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA and fluorometric assay of total DNA concentration. Res...
Montelaro RC, West M, Ivey M.Representative glycoproteins including fetuin, protein A, ovalbumin, alpha 1 acid glycoprotein, and the major glycoprotein of equine infectious anemia virus were labelled with 125I by the chloramine-T or Bolton-Hunter procedure and their binding to immobilized Con A or lentil lectin compared to untreated samples of each glycoprotein. Glycoprotein modification was no greater than one substituted residue per protein molecule. Yet the radioiodinated glycoproteins typically displayed only 0-50% of the lectin binding observed with untreated samples. These results indicate that lectin glycoprotein b...
Perryman LE, Magnuson NS.Significant contributions to understanding the role of lymphocyte subpopulations in the immune response and to the characterization of immunodeficiencies in children have been achieved through study of animal models of immunodeficiency. Additional contributions can be made in two important areas. One is through identification of relevant, naturally-occurring models of adenosine deaminase deficiency and purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency. The second, and potentially more important contribution, would be the identification of the metabolic basis for existing immune deficiencies. The nece...
Ahn B, Zhang Y, Osterrieder N, O'Callaghan DJ.The 150 kbp genome of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is composed of a unique long (UL) region and a unique short (Us) segment, which is flanked by identical internal and terminal repeat (IR and TR) sequences of 12.7 kbp. We constructed an EHV-1 lacking the entire IR (vL11ΔIR) and showed that the IR is dispensable for EHV-1 replication but that the vL11ΔIR exhibits a smaller plaque size and delayed growth kinetics. Western blot analyses of cells infected with vL11ΔIR showed that the synthesis of viral proteins encoded by the immediate-early, early, and late genes was reduced at immediate-early...
Bowker RM, Sonea IM, Vex KB, Caron JP.Substance P (SP) immunocytochemistry and receptor autoradiography were used to define the innervation of the equine synovial membrane of joints equivalent to the wrist and knuckle of man. SP-immunoreactive fibers were mainly concentrated around blood vessels in the subsynovial layer, although not exclusively, while in the more distal joint, SP fibers were more frequently seen in the synovial surface layer. Iodinated SP receptor autoradiography studies revealed silver grain concentrations in the advential layer of blood vessels associated with the vasa vasorum, on the vascular endothelium and i...
Byrns G, Crump AL, Lalonde G, Bernoco D, Antczak DF.The ELY-1 locus controls the expression of a polymorphic cell surface antigen of equine lymphocytes which was detected using antibodies generated by alloimmunization with peripheral blood lymphocytes. The ELY-1 antigens were not detected on erythrocytes or platelets by absorption experiments. The two alleles, which have been designated ELY-1.1 and ELY-1.2, are expressed codominantly and appear to constitute a closed system at the population level. In family studies, the ELY-1 antigens segregated as products of an autosomal locus not linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the h...
Mason JB, Gurda BL, Van Wettere A, Engiles JB, Wilson JM, Richardson DW.Our long-term aim is to develop a gene therapy approach for the prevention of laminitis in the contralateral foot of horses with major musculoskeletal injuries and non-weightbearing lameness. Objective: The goal of this study was to develop a practical method to efficiently deliver therapeutic proteins deep within the equine foot. Methods: Randomised in vivo experiment. Methods: We used recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAVs) to deliver marker genes using regional limb perfusion through the palmar digital artery of the horse. Results: Vector serotypes rAAV2/1, 2/8 and 2/9 all succes...
Mariella J, Castagnetti C, Prosperi A, Scagliarini A, Peli A.The purpose of this study is to investigate the presence of IL-4, IL-8, IL-13 and IFN-γ in equine colostrum and in foals' serum. Samples were obtained from 14 mares and their healthy foals. Soon after parturition, 10ml of colostrum was collected, filtered, centrifuged and frozen until assayed. Blood samples were obtained from each foal at birth (TO) and again after 24h (T24), after which they were frozen until assayed. Serum IgG was measured at 24h of age with an immunoturbidimetric quantitative method. Cytokine concentration was determined using commercially available ELISA tests. Statistica...
Rojas G, Vargas M, Robles A, Gutiérrez JM.Twenty batches of polyvalent antivenom produced at the Instituto Clodomiro Picado were analyzed for turbidity, both before and after freezing-thawing and lyophilization. Eight batches became turbid upon freezing-thawing, and this change correlated with high levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins, especially beta-lipoprotein. Since normal horse serum does not become turbid after freezing-thawing, despite the fact that it has high lipoprotein levels, the possibility was raised that phenol, used as a preservative during serum fractionation, might affect lipoproteins, inducing the a...
Uzcanga GL, Bubis J.Two horses were infected with distinct non-tsetse transmitted Venezuelan stocks, namely TeAp-N/D1 and TeAp-El Frio01 . Preceding reports have revealed that a 64-kDa antigenic glycopolypeptide (p64), which is the soluble form of the predominant variant surface glycoprotein from TeAp-N/D1 , can be used as a good antigen for immunodiagnosis of animal trypanosomosis. Here, the course of the experimental acute infection in both horses was monitored by evaluating total anti-p64 IgG and particular anti-p64 γ-specific IgG and μ-specific IgM isotypes in sera using indirect enzyme-linked immunoso...
Dhakal P, Tsunoda N, Nambo Y, Taniyama H, Nagaoka K, Watanabe G, Taya K.Although equine gestation is unique from the standpoint of fetal gonadal enlargement and regression, the activator of this process is still unknown. The present study aimed to show a possible role of activin during equine gestation. In the first experiment, weekly plasma samples from six pregnant mares were used to measure activin A. In the second experiment, eight pregnant mares carrying female (gestational days 110, 140, 180, and 270) and male fetuses (gestational days 120, 180, 225, and 314) were used for immunohistochemistry of activin receptors (IA, IB, IIA, IIB), and their intracellular ...
