T cells are a type of lymphocyte that play a significant role in the adaptive immune system of horses. They are involved in identifying and responding to pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, by recognizing specific antigens. T cells can be categorized into various subsets, including helper T cells (CD4+), cytotoxic T cells (CD8+), and regulatory T cells, each with specific functions in immune regulation and response. The study of T cells in horses encompasses their development, activation, and the mechanisms by which they mediate immune responses. This research area includes investigations into how T cells contribute to equine health, their response to vaccinations, and their involvement in immune-mediated diseases. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the biology, function, and clinical relevance of T cells in equine immunology.
Fernandez C, Möller G.After a primary immune response to the alpha 1-6 epitope of dextran B512, dextran high responder strains exhibit a specific inability to produce IgM and IgG antibodies against this epitope, although they gave an expected secondary response to horse erythrocytes. Spleen cells from dextran-primed and-suppressed mice responded well to dextran after transfer to lethally irradiated previously untreated mice, indicating that tolerance or exhaustive proliferation of dextran reactive B cells is not responsible. Thymus-dependent dextran-protein conjugates also induced specific suppression. Suppression ...
Broström H, Bredberg-Rådén U, England J, Obel N, Perlmann P.Cell-mediated immunity in horses with sarcoid tumor against sarcoid antigens was studied in vitro by means of mixed lymphocyte tumor cell culture assay and lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity of 52Cr-labeled target cells. When Mc-1 sarcoid cells were used as stimulatory cells for peripheral blood lymphocytes in the mixed lymphocyte tumor cell assay, a clear difference in the kinetics of the generated lymphocytic proliferative response could be detected between sarcoid and control horses. With sarcoid horses, their proliferative maximum was reached 3 days earlier than that of the control horses, a...
Splitter GA, Incefy G, Iwata T, McGuire TC.Arabian horses with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) were evaluated for thymic hormone activities using thymic extracts and sera. Extracts prepared from thymus of SCID horses were able to increase the number of spleen cells responding to sheep red blood cells in irradiated, bone marrow-reconstituted mice. In addition, ultrafiltrates prepared from sera of these immunodeficient horses, which contained material with molecular weight of less than 50,000 Daltons could (a) induce a population of human bone marrow precursor cells to differentiate into cells bearing SRBC receptors and f...
Perryman LE, Buening GM, McGuire TC, Torbeck RL, Poppie MJ, Sale GE.Six young horses with combined immunodeficiency were given liver cells intravenously or intraperitoneally and thymuses subcutaneously from equine fetuses ranging from 68 to 110 days of gestational age. Three of four horses given cells from fetuses over 90 days of age developed lesions compatible with graft versus host reactions. One horse given cells from an 80-day fetus developed mitogen-responsive lymphocytes, synthesized immunoglobulins of the four major equine classes, and survived to 11.5 months of age. The sixth foal receiving cells from a 68-day fetus showed no discernable effects from ...
Corradin G, Chiller JM.Murine T-lymphocyte specificity was determined in a system of antigen driven in vitro T-cell proliferation using cytochrome c molecules from different species, their derived peptides and reconstituted hybrid proteins. It was observed that primed T cells could discriminate between peptide fragments which differed from each other at a single amino acid residue. These conclusions were substantiated by the pattern of cross-reactivity noted in the response of closely related cytochrome c proteins as well as when artificial hybrid molecules reconstituted by the covalent linkage of peptide fragments ...
Dixon JB, Allan D, West CR.The purpose of these investigations was to assemble and compare data which might illustrate a functional relationship between phytohaemagglutinin-induced transformation of equine lymphocytes in vitro and the haematological profiles of the lymphocyte donors. Statistically significant correlation between transformation and a haematological parameter was taken as evidence that both may be part of a common regulatory system. There was no evidence that transformation in vitro was affected by artefactual variation in the cellular composition of the cultures. Transformational behaviour of lymphocytes...
Veldman JE, Keuning FJ, Molenaar I.Two times sublethal total body-X-irradiation with weekly local thymus irradiation established a T-cell deprived experimental model in rabbits. Humoral immunity reactions in draining lymph nodes have been analyzed histologically and at the submicroscopical level after challenge with Salmonella Java vaccine, horse spleen ferritin, horse-gamma-globulin, a chemical sensitizer oxazolone (2 phenyl-4-ethoxymethylene-5-oxazolone) and after skin allografting respectively. The time sequence studies in these animals with an 'isolated B-cell system' are compared with similar experiments in normal non-irra...
Studdert MJ.Set in a context of immunodeficiency diseases in general this paper provides a brief, illustrated review of a primary, severe, combined immunodeficiency (PSCID) disease of Arabian foals. Affected foals are clinically normal at birth but beginning at about 10 days of age they develop a range of clinical signs particularly bronchopneumonia and diarrhoea with which adenoviruses are peculiarly associated. Despite intensive therapy foals invariably die by about 3 months of age. Affected foals are profoundly lymphopagenic (greater than 1000 lymphcoytes per mm3). There is thymic and lymph node hypopl...
Hodgin EC, McGuire TC, Perryman LE, Grant BD.Delayed hypersensitivity (DH) responses of normal and immunodeficient horses were evaluated with antigens [dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)] and phytolectins [phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A)]. Immunologically normal horses sensitized with 5 daily applications of 2 mg of DNCB developed positive skin reactions upon challenge with 0.4 mg of DNCB. The delayed onset of the reaction and the predominately mononuclear cell infiltration at the test site indicated these were DH reactions. Normal horses sensitized with 500 microgram of KLH and challenged with ...
Perryman LE, McGuire TC.Combined immunodeficiency in horses is a genetic disorder in which there is a defect in the production of committed B and T lymphocytes. In this study, peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes from foals with combined immunodeficiency were examined for their capacity to stimulate and respond in one-way mixed lymphocyte cultures. Irradiated cells from combined immunodeficient foals were uniformly capable of stimulating cells from unrelated horses. However, none were able to respond to allogeneic stimulation. Examination of cells from known carrier horses revealed no difference in capacity to sti...
Tarr MJ, Olsen RG, Krakowka GS, Cockerell GL, Gabel AA.Erythrocyte rosette (ER) formation of equine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was characterized. Guinea pig and, to a lesser extent, human erythrocytes formed ER; cat, cow, dog, hamster, mouse, rat, and sheep erythrocytes showed negligible rosetting properties. Conditions of the assay were varied to determine which procedure allowed the largest percentage of rosette formation. The PBL from 20 normal horses were then assayed, averaging 38 +/- 2% ER. To characterize the erythrocyte receptor as being on T or B cells, equine thymocytes from 6 foals were assayed; the thymocytes formed an average ...
Banerjee DP, Singh B, Gautam OP, Sarup S.An intradermal skin test, to demonstrate a delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction in Babesia equi infection in donkeys, was developed. A skin reaction to B. equi antigen was elicited in vaccinnated, infected and carrier intact and splenectomised donkeys. The histopathological examination of the skin biopsy revealed infiltration of mononuclear cells and accumulation of oedematous fluid in the deeper layers of the dermis. A leucocyte migration inhibition test was developed and its specificity as an in vitro measure of cell-mediated immunity to B. equi antigen was established. The results of...
Poppie MJ, McGuire TC.Combined immunodeficiency (CID), a defect in both B- and T-lymphocytes, was found to occur in 2.3% of 257 foals of Arabian breeding. All affected foals died by 5 months of age. The belief that CID is transmitted as an autosomal recessive genetic defect was supported by results from matings of dams and sires that had previously produced affected foals. Based on a prevalence of 2.3%, the proportion of carriers of the CID trait among the adult population surveyed was estimated to be 25.7%. Recent descriptions of other immunologic defects in foals emphasized the need for careful differential diagn...
Poppie MJ, McGuire TC.Foals with combined immunodeficiency (CID), a fatal genetic defect in the production of both B and T lymphocytes, are born without immunoglobulins and are unable to synthesise them. CID foals receiving immunoglobulins via the dam's colostrum may live up to four months of age. Those CID foals with failure of passive transfer (FPT) die at a much earlier age. The occurrence of CID is of value in studying passive transfer of immunoglobulins, as no confusion exists as to when passive transfer ends and active synthesis of immunoglobulins begins. A high correlation has been found between early foal d...
Forssmann A.The islets of Langerhans of the equine pancreas were examined with the electron microscope after immersion or perfusion fixation. Five cell types could be distinguished after fixation by either technique: 1. A-cells, situated at the center of the islets, 2. B-cells, containing mostly "pale granules" and constituting the principal cell type of the periphery of the islets, 3. D-cells, also located mainly at the periphery of the islets, 4. G-cells, found at the edge of the islets and in the exocrine pancreas, and 5. S-cells, (small granule cells), which are relatively few in number and occur only...
Diethelm AG, Chambers LM, Balch CM, Phillips SJ.Anti-human thymocyte cell membrane antibody prepared by hyperimmunization of the horse produced an antiserum capable of prolonging skin allografts in the rhesus monkey for an average of 26 days. Lymphocyte depletion was present in paracortical areas of mesenteric lymph nodes of these animals after 28 days of treatment; the intravenous administration was tolerated without ill effects. Immunofluorescent studies identified both broad specificity antibodies reacting with numerous human cell types as well as thymus-dependent (T) cell antibodies reactive with human thymocytes and peripheral T-cells....
McGuire TC, Banks KL, Evans DR, Poppie MJ.Agammaglobulinemia was diagnosed in a 1-year-old Thoroughbred horse on the basis of the following observations: (1) absence of serum immunoglobulins M, A, and G(T); (2) small amounts of serum immunoglobulin G (16 mg/100 ml); (3) absence of specific antibody in the serum of the horse following immunization and challenge exposure to 2 antigens; (4) absence of plasma cells, primary follicles, and germinal centers in a lymph node removed after antigenic stimulation; (5) absence of "natural" serum antibodies to rabbit-erythrocytes which were easily detectable in age-matched control horse serums; an...
Watson RE, Larson KA.Indirect immunofluorescence and lymphocyte cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated the presence of a tumor-specific antigen(s) on the surface of cells from an equine sarcoid cell line (Mc1). Autologous serum (taken from the horse from which the Mc1 cells were derived) and sera from three other sarcoid-bearing horses revealed a similar membrane immunofluorescence when reacted with Mc1 cells, indicating the existence of cross-reacting antibodies. Results of serum colony inhibition experiments indicate that these antibodies are not cytotoxic. Incubation of Mc1 cells with autologous lymphocytes resu...
McGuire TC, Poppie MJ, Banks KL.Thirty sick Arabian foals and 78 clinically normal Arabian foals were examined for combined (B- and T-lymphocyte) immunodeficiency. Diagnosis was based on lymphocyte counts and serum immunoglobulin (Ig) content or microscopic examination of lymphoid organs. Ten of the 30 sick foals and 2 of the 78 clinically normal foals had combined immunodeficiency. The 2 affected foals in the group of 78 subsequently developed fatal pneumonia.
Lymphocyte counts were made from 9 of the 12 immunodeficient foals; the range was 0 to 936/cmm., whereas the normal mean was 4,119/cmm., with a standard deviation ...
McGuire TC, Poppie MJ.A severe combined immunodeficiency disorder was demonstrated in two Arabian foals which were full siblings. The defect in the B-lymphocyte system was shown by hypogammaglobulinemia, lymphopenia, and absence of germinal centers. The almost total absence of thymic tissue in one foal and the lack of thymic dependent lymphocytes in the spleens of both foals demonstrate a T-lymphocyte defect. In a retrospective study of total available Arabian foal cases, 4 of 15 had evidence of immunodeficiency.
Science (New York, N.Y.)March 3, 1972
Volume 175, Issue 4025 996-997 doi: 10.1126/science.175.4025.996
Gershon RK, Kondo K.Mice rendered tolerant to sheep red cells and then given normal thymocytes, made no antibody when immunized with these cells. When immunized with horse red blood cells, however, they made significant amounts of noncross-reacting antibody to sheep red blood cells. This suggests that antibody-making precursor cells (B cells) which are nontolerant but nonactivatable by specific antigen, may exist in tolerant hosts.
Chen X, Zhao Y, Su L, Wang L, Ma X, Zhang B, Su Y.Strangles, which is caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, is one of the most prevalent equine infectious diseases and poses heavy economic losses worldwide. Although various vaccines have been used for decades, they seemed to be sub-optimal to demonstrate effective protection, and the antigen component of vaccines against S. equi remains to be optimized. In the present study, three target antigens (M-like protein, α2-macroglobulin and IgG-binding protein, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) were selected and expressed. Mice were immunized and challenged, and their immune res...
Brinsko SP, Ball BA.The equine oviduct is the site of fertilisation and location of embryonic development during the first 5 or 6 days. It therefore has an important influence on mare fertility. Although histopathological changes have been described previously, there is limited information regarding lymphocyte subtypes present in the mucosa of the normal equine oviduct. Objective: To characterise the distribution of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and B lymphocytes in the equine oviduct from inseminated mares during oestrus and dioestrus, and from noninseminated mares during the immediate post ovulatory period. Methods: Oviduct...
Perryman LE, Wyatt CR, Magnuson NS.Neoplastic lymphocytes from a horse with lymphosarcoma and IgM deficiency were analyzed for ability to grow in culture; surface and cytoplasmic IgM; functional activity in blastogenesis, cytoxicity, and suppressor assays; and activities of six enzymes involved in purine and pyrimidine metabolism. The cells lacked surface and cytoplasmic IgM. They had elevated activity of adenosine deaminase and reduced activity of purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Neoplastic cells were nonresponsive in blastogenesis assay and did not kill allogeneic lymphocyte target cells or YAC-1 targets in a lectin-dependent...
Swiderski CE, McClure JJ.The immune system is a complex interactive network. Defects in its function can be characterized broadly as being the result of actual deficiencies in the network or misdirection of normal immunologic functions. The assays that are available to detect deficiencies in the immunologic network barely scrape the surface of the possibilities. These assays primarily evaluate humoral immune function, but undetected defects in innate and cellular immunity are sure to exist. Although assays of humoral immunity have allowed the characterization of a number of immunodeficiency syndromes in horses, closer...
Birdwhistell KE, Hurley DJ, Heins B, Peroni JF.Allogeneic solid organ transplantation is currently the only treatment option for end stage organ disease. The shortage of available donor organs has driven efforts to utilize xenogeneic organs for transplantation. In vitro methods for evaluating immune-compatibility are a quick and low cost means of screening novel tissue products prior to more involved, expensive, and invasive live animal studies. Recently, a new analog of the DNA base thymidine, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), was developed. It may be used in a fast, efficient and specific means of evaluating cell proliferation via flow cy...
Hamouzová P, Drábková Z, Stehlíková Š, Řeháková K, Čížek P, Dobešová O, Jahn P, Doubek J.This study determined Tregs and inflammatory cytokines in BALF and peripheral blood (PB) of adult horses with mild and severe asthma and different BALF cytological inflammation profiles. Horses of diverse breeds with asthma (age range: 2-20 years, n = 24) were divided into groups according to the number of points obtained in a standardized clinical scoring system (mild-moderate equine asthma - MEA, severe equine asthma - SEA) and according to the inflammation type based on cytological finding. Plasma levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-17 and MMP-9 in the BALF were determined by ELISA. Tregs ...
Ansar Ahmed S, Furr M, Chickering WR, Sriranganathan N, Sponenberg DP.Immunological, clinical, and pathological investigations were conducted on a horse with lymphosarcoma. The immunological status was investigated by measuring the level of antibodies by single radial immunodiffusion test and the ability of lymphocytes to proliferate in response to mitogens. Multiple immunological abnormalities were noted in this horse. They were; (1) decreased IgM, IgG, and IgA levels in the serum despite hyperproteinemia; (2) increased in-vitro spontaneous lymphoproliferation which reflects augmented mitosis; (3) decreased lymphoproliferative response to T cell stimulants (e.g...
Schwab UE, Tallmadge RL, Matychak MB, Felippe MJB.OBJECTIVE To develop an in vitro system for differentiation of equine B cells from bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells on the basis of protocols for other species. SAMPLE Bone marrow aspirates aseptically obtained from 12 research horses. PROCEDURES Equine bone marrow CD34 cells were sorted by use of magnetic beads and cultured in medium supplemented with cytokines (recombinant human interleukin-7, equine interleukin-7, stem cell factor, and Fms-like tyrosine kinase-3), murine OP9 stromal cell preconditioned medium, and equine fetal bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell preconditioned me...
Watson ED, Zanecosky HG.Immunosuppressive substances which interfere with lymphocyte blastogenesis are released in vitro by embryos and endometrium from mares in early pregnancy. Immunosuppression was not evident when tissues were cultured in the presence of indomethacin (a prostaglandin-synthesis inhibitor). Various prostaglandins (PGs) were added to equine lymphocytes and lymphocyte proliferation was measured after the addition of concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohaemagglutinin A (PHA). PGE2 and PGF2 alpha inhibited Con A-induced blastogenesis down to final concentrations of 1.8 x 10(-9) M and 1.3 x 10(-6) M, respect...
Lemos KR, Marques LC, Deaquino LP, Alessi AC, Machado RZ.An histochemical and immunohistochemical study was carried out to evaluate the mechanisms of immune response of horses experimentally infected by Trypanosoma evansi. For this purpose the HE histochemical stain and the avidin biotin peroxidase method were used. To determine the presence and immunoreactivity of immune cells we used anti-major histocompatibility complex II antibodies. Cellular infiltration phenotype was characterized with the aid of anti-CD3 antibody for T lymphocytes and by anti-BLA 36 antibodies for B lymphocytes. Macrophages were marked with an antibody against myeloid/histyoc...
Broström H, Hellström U, Ziverts I, Obel N, Perlmann P.In a preceding report we have shown that the lectin Helix pomatia A hemagglutinin (HP) binds to two subpopulations of neuraminidase-treated equine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), constituting about 20% and 75% of PBL, respectively. The aim of the present study was to further characterize these HP+ cells in regard to other surface markers such as receptors for guinea pig erythrocytes (GPR+ cells), membrane-bound immunoglobulins (sIg+ cells), receptors for activated complement (C3R+ cells) and receptors for IgG (Fc alpha R+ cells). This was done by double marker analysis and by lymphocyte fr...
Mckelvie J, Foster AP, Hamblin AS, Cunningham FM.Intradermal injection of a Culicoides antigen extract (CAgX) induces T lymphocyte and eosinophil accumulation in the skin of horses with sweet itch. Blood mononuclear (BMN) cells from normal ponies proliferate when stimulated by mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin, PHA) or antigen (tetanus toxoid, TT) and, as shown here, release soluble factor(s) that induce eosinophil adherence. CAgX also caused concentration dependent proliferation of BMN cells from sweet itch and normal ponies [stimulation index: 29 (13) and 17 (7) for BMN cells from sweet itch and normal ponies, respectively during the active pha...
Rodríguez M, Quiroga J, Cortés B, Morán G, Henríquez C.Tamoxifen (TAM) is widely utilized in the prevention and treatment of human breast cancer and has demonstrated the potential to modulate the immune response. It has been proposed as a therapeutic tool for immune-mediated diseases. TAM has been investigated as a possible treatment for asthma-like conditions in horses, revealing specific impacts on the innate immune system. While the effects of TAM on equine neutrophils are well-documented, its influence on lymphocytes and the modulation of the immune response polarization remains unclear. This study employed peripheral blood mononuclear cells ...
Veiga IB, Affolter VK, Moore PF, Maia-Nussbaumer PJ, Gerber V, Unger L, Dettwiler M.This report describes a multicentric intermediate-size B-cell lymphoma with epitheliotropism in a Freiberger mare affecting multiple mucous membranes, skin and internal organs. The clonal neoplastic B-cell population was accompanied by numerous reactive polyclonal small T cells. Differential diagnoses for these unusual findings are discussed. 本报告描述了一种多中心性中等大小B细胞淋巴瘤, 其在弗雷伯格母马中具有驱上皮性, 影响多处粘膜、皮肤和内脏。克隆性肿瘤B细胞群伴有大量反应性多克隆小T细胞。就这些异常发现对鉴别诊...
In this paper, we report a comprehensive and consistent annotation of the locus encoding the β-chain of the equine T-cell receptor (TRB), as inferred from recent genome assembly using bioinformatics tools. The horse TRB locus spans approximately 1 Mb, making it the largest locus among the mammalian species studied to date, with a significantly higher number of genes related to extensive duplicative events. In the region, 136 TRBV (belonging to 29 subgroups), 2 TRBD, 13 TRBJ, and 2 TRBC genes, were identified. The general genomic organization resembles that of other mammals, with a V cluster o...
Kader T, Lin JR, Hug C, Coy S, Chen YA, de Bruijn I, Shih N, Jung E, Pelletier RJ, Leon ML, Mingo G, Omran DK, Lee JS, Yapp C, Satravada BA, Kundra R....High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (HGSOC) originates from fallopian tube (FT) precursors. However, the molecular changes that occur as precancerous lesions progress to HGSOC are not well understood. To address this, we integrated high-plex imaging and spatial transcriptomics to analyze human tissue samples at different stages of HGSOC development, including p53 signatures, serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STIC), and invasive HGSOC. Our findings reveal immune modulating mechanisms within precursor epithelium, characterized by chromosomal instability, persistent interferon (IFN) signaling...
Migdał A, Migdał Ł, Oczkowicz M, Tombarkiewicz B, Okólski A.Colostrum contains substances such as hormones, enzymes, polyamides, nucleic acid derivatives, and amino acid derivatives and also includes immunomodulating substances, proline-rich polypeptides, immunoglobulins (Ig) as well as bacteriostatic compounds. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of colostral Ig on the level of expression of selected Toll-like receptor genes (TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7). The experiments were conducted on 25 Polish Pony foals. Blood samples were collected according to the following scheme: before first suckling, at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th, day of ...
Fegraeus K, Riihimäki M, Nordlund J, Akula S, Wernersson S, Raine A.Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a valuable tool for investigating cellular heterogeneity in diseases such as equine asthma (EA). This study evaluates the HIVE™ scRNA-seq method, a pico-well-based technology, for processing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from horses with EA. The HIVE method offers practical advantages, including compatibility with both field and clinical settings, as well as a gentle workflow suited for handling sensitive cells. Our results show that the major cell types in equine BAL were successfully identified; however, the proportions of T cells and macropha...
da Silveira BP, Kahn SK, Legere RM, Bray JM, Cole-Pfeiffer HM, Golding MC, Cohen ND, Bordin AI.Using a horse foal model, we show that enteral immunization of newborn foals with Rhodococcus equi overcomes neonatal vaccination challenges by reprogramming innate immune responses, inducing R. equi-specific adaptive humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and protecting foals against experimental pneumonia challenge. Foals were immunized twice via gavage of R. equi (immunized group) or saline (control group) at ages 1 and 3 days. At age 28 days, all foals were challenged intrabronchially with R. equi. Post-challenge, all 5 immunized foals remained healthy, whereas 67% (4/6) of control foa...
B B, G M, L G, G A, B B, T F, A G, D B, A K, G T, G S, A B, M F, L R.Equine penile tumors are common in horses and are often related to infection with equine papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2). This study investigated the immune cell infiltrate (ICI) of these tumors in horses, focusing on the role of EcPV2. Using multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) for CD3, CD20, and IBA-1 and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for FoxP3, 27 horses with papillomas (5/27), in situ carcinomas (CISs) (3/27), and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) (19/27) were evaluated. Eighteen cases tested positive for EcPV2 by either or both in situ hybridization (ISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (18...
Tolnai C, O'Sullivan C, Lőrincz M, Karvouni M, Tenk M, Marosi A, Forgách P, Paszerbovics B, Wagenhoffer Z, Kutasi O.West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne neurotropic virus that causes neurologic disease in both humans and horses. Yet the long-term cellular immune response following natural infection in horses remains poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the WNV-specific T-cell response in horses recovered from West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). Twelve client-owned horses (4 Hungarian sport horses, 2 Lippizaners, 1 KWPN, 1 Shagya Arabian, 1 Friesian, 1 Gidran, 1 Andalusian, and 1 draft cross horse) with confirmed clinical WNV infection were enrolled, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells ...
Linde P, Kurihara J, Chow L, Williams ZJ, Hendrickson D, Bass L, Dow S, Pezzanite LM.Innate immune responses within the joint are now known to play a key role in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. However, comparatively little is known regarding the role of adaptive immune responses in OA, and whether they may be important for initiating and sustaining progressive low-level joint inflammation. Therefore, we evaluated spontaneous osteoarthritis in horses to investigate whether antibodies recognizing live joint cells (chondrocytes, synoviocytes) were present in blood or synovial fluid, and to identify possible cellular target antigens. We found that horses with advanced OA had an...
Feijo LS, Ledeck J, Wolfsdorf K, Ponthier J, Parry S, Felippe MJB.Associations between the immune and endocrine systems during equine pregnancy remain poorly understood. Based on the hypothesis that distinct phases of the equine healthy gestation are characterized by specific associations between circulating immunological and hormonal parameters, contributing to pregnancy maintenance, this investigation aimed to: (i) evaluate how circulating immunological and hormonal parameters change across different phases of pregnancy; (ii) investigate associations between changes in circulating immunological and hormonal parameters; and (iii) propose potential hormonal ...
Monteiro MM, de Castro ELA, Pereira AJM, Thiesen R, Thiesen RMC, Salvarani FM.Equine sarcoids are the most common dermatological neoplasm in horses worldwide, associated with bovine papillomavirus (BPV) infection and characterized by high recurrence rates after conventional therapies. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy has historically been used for sarcoid treatment, yet its role in contemporary veterinary oncology remains debated. This narrative review critically examines the immunological mechanisms, clinical efficacy, and limitations of BCG in equine sarcoid therapy, while integrating insights from comparative oncology and One Health perspectives. A syste...
Zamith Cunha R, Gobbo F, Morini M, Salamanca G, Zanoni A, Bernardini C, Gramenzi A, Chiocchetti R.Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is crucial for regulating inflammation, cell proliferation and pain. The ECS is composed of cannabinoid receptors such as type 1 (CBR1), type 2 (CBR2) and GPR55, endocannabinoids and enzymes. Proteins of ECS have previously been localized in the epidermal cells of the horse hooves. Given the physio-pathological role and cellular distribution of the ECS across species, the authors hypothesized that cannabinoid receptors are expressed within the inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells of the equine hoof laminae, going beyond t...
Singer J, Chow L, Ammons D, Sabino I, Impastato R, Dow S, Pezzanite LM.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a aging-associated degenerative joint disease. The objective was to determine relative senescence gene expression in joints and leukocytes of OA horses toward considering senotherapeutics to manage OA. Unassigned: To define local (joint) and systemic (peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs]) senescence burden, synovial fluid cell single-cell RNA sequencing and PBMC mRNA sequencing datasets (n = 65 samples) were examined. Differential analyses were conducted using limma to compare OA versus control. A custom 3,043-gene senescence set curated from published metadata was...
Wójtowicz A, Sadowska A, Molcan T, Słyszewska M, Drzewiecka EM, Tobolski D, Ferreira-Dias G, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A.Mare endometrosis is a chronic degenerative condition of the endometrium, primarily characterized by fibrosis, involving interactions among fibroblasts, immune cells, and epithelial cells regulated by cytokines and growth factors. T helper (Th)1 and Th2 cells seem to play a pivotal role in fibrosis. However, their roles in equine endometrial fibrosis remain unknown. This study explores Th1 and Th2 cell distribution across different stages of endometrium histopathological Kenney and Doig categories; and evaluated their secretome effects on non-fibrotic endometrium derived fibroblast functional ...
Bourebaba L, Panek M, Piedra LCC, Bourebaba N.Fetuin-A (FetA) is a multifactorial glycoprotein primarily synthesized by the liver with additional expression in adipose tissue, the abundance of which is tightly regulated by the FBXW7 E3 ubiquitin ligase. Recently, FetA has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and associated metabolic failures in humans through its potent and selective inhibition of insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity, however, no studies have yet directly investigated its role in the development and progression of equine obesity. In this investigation, FetA levels were measured in serum, liver, a...
Greenberg CB, Suckow MA, Clauson RM, Kalinauskas AE, Lucroy MD.Precision medicine is a therapeutic strategy to provide treatment that is tailored to a specific patient based on factors unique to that individual, such as the genetic makeup or the environment. Autologous cancer vaccines (ACVs) are ideal for a precision medicine approach because they incorporate antigens specific to the patient's tumor and provide an elegant solution to identifying and selecting relevant immunogenic neoantigens. ACVs are an appealing option for veterinary medicine because they are cancer-type and species agnostic. Over the past 50 years, many innovative ACVs have been evalua...
