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Home / Equine Research Bank / Dev Comp Immunol / Developmental progression of equine immunoglobulin heavy cha...
Developmental and comparative immunology2013; 41(1); 33-43; doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2013.03.020

Developmental progression of equine immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region diversity.

Abstract: Humoral immunity is a critical component of the immune system that is established during fetal life and expands upon exposure to pathogens. The extensive humoral immune response repertoire is generated in large part via immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain variable region diversity. The horse is a useful model to study the development of humoral diversity because the placenta does not transfer maternal antibodies; therefore, Igs detected in the fetus and pre-suckle neonate were generated in utero. The goal of this study was to compare the equine fetal Ig VDJ repertoire to that of neonatal, foal, and adult horse stages of life. We found similar profiles of IGHV, IGHD, and IGHJ gene usage throughout life, including predominant usage of IGHV2S3, IGHD18S1, and IGHJ1S5. CDR3H lengths were also comparable throughout life. Unexpectedly, Ig sequence diversity significantly increased between the fetal and neonatal age, and, as expected, between the foal and adult age.
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Publication Date: 2013-04-06 PubMed ID: 23567345PubMed Central: PMC3672396DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2013.03.020Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article investigates the changes in the immunoglobulin (antibodies) repertoire in horses as they progress from fetal stages to adulthood. The researchers found an unexpected increase in sequence diversity of these immunoglobulins between the fetal and neonatal stage, and a predictable increase between foal and adulthood.

Understanding Humoral Immunity

  • Humoral immunity is a critical part of the immune system that begins developing during fetal life.
  • This immune response is primarily influenced by the diversity of the variable region of immunoglobulins (Igs), which are antibodies produced by the immune system.
  • Antibodies are proteins that the body produces in response to harmful substances. The diversity of these antibodies allows the immune system to effectively fight a wide range of pathogens.

The Role of Horses in the Study

  • The horse was used as a model in this study due to the fact that their placenta does not transfer maternal antibodies. This means that all antibodies detected in the fetus and pre-suckle neonate are generated in utero, providing a clean slate to study the development of humoral diversity.

Purpose and Findings of the Study

  • The purpose of this study was to compare the development and variation of the Ig (VDJ) repertoire at different stages of a horse’s life: fetal, neonatal, foal, and adult.
  • Through their research, the scientists found that the use of IGHV, IGHD, and IGHJ gene variations, as well as the lengths of CDR3H, remained consistent throughout the horse’s life.
  • However, there was a significant and unexpected increase in the diversity of Ig sequences between the fetal and neonatal stages.
  • As anticipated, there was also a notable increase in this diversity between the foal and adult stages.

Implications of the Findings

  • The unexpected increase in antibody sequence diversity from fetus to neonatal stage indicates that further research is needed to understand the factors contributing to this surge.
  • The findings have the potential to enhance our understanding of immunoglobulin development in other species, considering the horse as an effective model for the study.

Cite This Article

APA
Tallmadge RL, Tseng CT, King RA, Felippe MJ. (2013). Developmental progression of equine immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region diversity. Dev Comp Immunol, 41(1), 33-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dci.2013.03.020

Publication

Developmental and comparative immunology
ISSN: 1879-0089
NlmUniqueID: 7708205
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 41
Issue: 1
Pages: 33-43
PII: S0145-305X(13)00087-6

Researcher Affiliations

Tallmadge, Rebecca L
  • Equine Immunology Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States. rlt8@cornell.edu
Tseng, Chia T
    King, Rebecca A
      Felippe, M Julia B

        MeSH Terms

        • Age Factors
        • Animals
        • Animals, Newborn
        • Female
        • Fetus
        • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / immunology
        • Genetic Variation
        • Horses / genetics
        • Horses / immunology
        • Immunity, Humoral
        • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / classification
        • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / genetics
        • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / immunology
        • Immunoglobulin Variable Region / classification
        • Immunoglobulin Variable Region / genetics
        • Immunoglobulin Variable Region / immunology
        • Phylogeny
        • Pregnancy

        Grant Funding

        • DP2 OD007216 / NIH HHS
        • R03 AI079796 / NIAID NIH HHS
        • 1R03AI079796-01 / NIAID NIH HHS

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        Citations

        This article has been cited 8 times.
        1. Wibmer CK, Mashilo P. Exploiting V-Gene Bias for Rapid, High-Throughput Monoclonal Antibody Isolation from Horses. Viruses 2022 Sep 30;14(10).
          doi: 10.3390/v14102172pubmed: 36298728google scholar: lookup
        2. Tallmadge RL, Wang M, Sun Q, Felippe MJB. Transcriptome analysis of immune genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of young foals and adult horses. PLoS One 2018;13(9):e0202646.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202646pubmed: 30183726google scholar: lookup
        3. Tallmadge RL, Miller SC, Parry SA, Felippe MJB. Antigen-specific immunoglobulin variable region sequencing measures humoral immune response to vaccination in the equine neonate. PLoS One 2017;12(5):e0177831.
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        4. Prieto JMB, Tallmadge RL, Felippe MJB. Developmental expression of B cell molecules in equine lymphoid tissues. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2017 Jan;183:60-71.
          doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2016.12.004pubmed: 28063478google scholar: lookup
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