Effect of age and mitogen on the frequency of interleukin-4 and interferon gamma secreting cells in foals and adult horses as assessed by an equine-specific ELISPOT assay.
Abstract: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from 6 foals <1 week of age, 6 foals between 3 and 4 months of age, and 10 adult horses. PBMCs were stimulated with concanavalin A (ConA) or calcium ionomycin-phorbol myristate acetate (CaI-PMA) and the frequency of interferon IFN-gamma and IL-4 secreting cells was measured using an equine-specific ELISPOT assay. The number of IFN-gamma secreting cells was significantly lower in both groups of foals than in adult horses regardless of the mitogen used for stimulation. The number of IFN-gamma secreting cells was significantly higher in cells stimulated with CaI-PMA than in cells stimulated with ConA. In cells stimulated with CaI-PMA, the number of IL-4 secreting cells was significantly lower in both groups of foals compared to adult horses. In adult horses only, CaI-PMA stimulation resulted in significantly more IL-4 secreting cells than ConA stimulation. Regardless of age, the ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 spot forming cells (SFC) was significantly higher in cells stimulated with CaI-PMA than in cells stimulated with ConA. These findings indicate that the frequency of IFN-gamma and IL-4 secreting cells is lower in foals than in adult horses and that the type of mitogen used has a profound effect on the relative production of both cytokines.
Publication Date: 2009-06-25 PubMed ID: 19616312DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2009.06.010Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The following research focused on examining the effect of age and mitogens on the production of specific immune cells (particularly IFN-gamma and IL-4 secreting cells) in young foals and adult horses, using an equine-specific ELISPOT assay.
Study Description
- The study scrutinized the change in frequency of immune response molecules, the Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and Interlukin-4 (IL-4), in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of foals and adult horses. These molecules play an important role in the immune response of an organism, functioning as communicators between immune cells.
- The samples were collected from two groups of foals, one group less than a week old, and the other 3-4 months old, as well as from a group of adult horses. PBMCs were extracted from each of these groups for analyses.
Methodology
- In the experiment, the researchers incubated these PBMCs with two types of mitogens: Concavalin A (ConA) and a combination of calcium ionomycin and phorbol myristate acetate (CaI-PMA). A mitogen is a chemical substance that encourages a cell to commence cell division (mitosis), leading to cell proliferation.
- The specific response of these immune cells to the respective mitogens was studied using an equine-specific Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSpot (ELISPOT) Assay. This technique is used to measure the frequency of cytokine secreting cells.
Findings
- Observing the outcomes, it was noted that the number of IFN-gamma secreting cells was noticeably lower in both groups of foals as compared to the adult horses, regardless of the type of mitogen used.
- In reference to the mitogen’s influence, a higher number of IFN-gamma secreting cells were found in samples stimulated with CaI-PMA than with ConA.
- For IL-4 secreting cells, the foal groups displayed significantly lower numbers when compared to the adult horses but only for samples stimulated with CaI-PMA. This same type of stimulation also resulted in more IL-4 secreting cells in adult horses than ConA stimulation.
- Interestingly, the ratio of IFN-gamma to IL-4 was significantly higher in cells stimulated with CaI-PMA than those with ConA, regardless of the age group.
- Such observations colorfully indicate that the frequency of IFN-gamma and IL-4 secreting cells in foals is lower than in adult horses. Moreover, the type of mitogen used leads to a significant influence on the relative production of these pivotal cytokines.
Cite This Article
APA
Ryan C, Giguère S, Hagen J, Hartnett C, Kalyuzhny AE.
(2009).
Effect of age and mitogen on the frequency of interleukin-4 and interferon gamma secreting cells in foals and adult horses as assessed by an equine-specific ELISPOT assay.
Vet Immunol Immunopathol, 133(1), 66-71.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2009.06.010 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Blotting, Western / veterinary
- Concanavalin A / pharmacology
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
- Female
- Horses / blood
- Horses / immunology
- Interferon-gamma / analysis
- Interferon-gamma / immunology
- Interleukin-4 / analysis
- Interleukin-4 / immunology
- Ionomycin / pharmacology
- Lymphocyte Activation / drug effects
- Male
- Mitogens / pharmacology
- Neutrophils / drug effects
- Neutrophils / immunology
- Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / pharmacology
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Hamza E, Mirkovitch J, Steinbach F, Marti E. Regulatory T cells in early life: comparative study of CD4+CD25high T cells from foals and adult horses.. PLoS One 2015;10(3):e0120661.
- Malmasi A, Ziaie Ardestani B, Bayanolhagh S, Mohebali M, Khorram Khorshid H, Sadrpour P, Hosseini Rouzbahani N, Akhoundi B, Naserli S, Ziaie S, Mostafavi E. Assessment of the Effects of a Novel Herbal Immunomodulator Drug (IMOD) on Cytokine Profiles in Experimental Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis: a Preliminary Survey.. Iran J Parasitol 2014 Sep;9(3):292-301.
- Erganis O, Sayin Z, Hadimli HH, Sakmanoglu A, Pinarkara Y, Ozdemir O, Maden M. The effectiveness of anti-R. equi hyperimmune plasma against R. equi challenge in thoroughbred Arabian foals of mares vaccinated with R. equi vaccine.. ScientificWorldJournal 2014;2014:480732.
- Ryan C, Giguère S. Equine neonates have attenuated humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to a killed adjuvanted vaccine compared to adult horses.. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2010 Dec;17(12):1896-902.
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