Identifying the immunoglobulin G transporter in equine tissues: A look at the neonatal Fc receptor.
Abstract: The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is the receptor responsible for bidirectional transport of immunoglobulin G (IgG) across cells, maintenance of IgG levels in serum, and assisting with antigen presentation. Unfortunately, little is known about FcRn in horses. Therefore, the objective of this study was to provide fundamental information regarding the location of FcRn in equine tissues. Tissues were collected from six horses of mixed breed, age, and sex immediately following euthanasia. Sampling locations included the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), other visceral organs, cornea, and synovial membrane of the stifle and carpal joints. Tissues for histological analysis were fixed, cross sectioned, and stained for FcRn. Areas of interest were captured and analyzed with data represented as relative fluorescence (RF) to indicate FcRn abundance. Tissues for qPCR analysis were placed in RNAlater and relative quantification (RQ) of FcRn transcripts (FCGRT) was calculated using the 2 method, normalized to the geometric mean of three reference genes (ACTB, GADPH, HPRT1). Data were analyzed using the general linear model procedure of SAS. Abundance of FcRn differed between tissue types by immunofluorescence and qPCR analysis (P < 0.01). Joint synovium and respiratory tract tissues had the highest RF, GIT tissues expressed moderate RF, and other visceral organs had the lowest RF. Conversely, liver and kidney tissues had the highest RQ while the stomach and cornea had the lowest RQ. These data lay the foundation for future studies regarding FcRn and IgG in horses and their roles in disease prevention and treatment.
Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Publication Date: 2024-06-13 PubMed ID: 38879095DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105131Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research investigates the location of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) in the equine tissues. The FcRn is responsible for the transportation of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) across cells and is important for disease prevention and treatment. Tissue samples were evaluated both through microscopic observation and qPCR analysis.
Methodology and Tissue Collection
- The study was conducted on tissue samples collected post-euthanasia from six horses of varying breeds, age and sex.
- The tissue samples were gathered from diverse locations in the equine body including the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, other visceral organs, cornea, and synovial membrane of major joints.
- Some of these tissues were treated and prepared for histological analysis while the others were dipped in RNAlater (an RNA stabilization solution) for qPCR analysis.
Analysis and Findings
- The relative presence of the neonatal Fc receptors in the tissues was measured through both immunofluorescence and qPCR.
- The immunofluorescence data was represented as relative fluorescence (RF) to highlight the abundance of FcRn in the tissues.
- In case of the qPCR data, relative quantification of the FcRn transcripts was calculated using the 2 method and was normalized against three reference genes.
- The results showed variegating levels of the FcRn in different tissue types. The joint synovium and respiratory tract tissues had the highest RF levels whereas other visceral organs had the lowest.
- In the qPCR analysis, liver and kidney tissues held the most transcripts of the receptors while the stomach and cornea had the fewest.
Implications and Future Direction
- The key revelation from the study is the differing abundance of the FcRn in diverse tissue types in horse bodies. This data could be valuable for future studies with focus on disease prevention and treatment in horses.
- Further investigations could explore how these variable levels of the neonatal Fc receptor impact the functioning of the immunoglobulin G (IgG), the physiological implications, and the potential for preventative or therapeutic interventions.
Cite This Article
APA
Guenther MC, Borowicz PP, Hirchert MR, Semanchik PL, Simons JL, Fridley J, White-Springer SH, Hammer CJ.
(2024).
Identifying the immunoglobulin G transporter in equine tissues: A look at the neonatal Fc receptor.
J Equine Vet Sci, 105131.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105131 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, NDSU Dept 7630, Fargo, ND, USA, 58108-6050.
- Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, NDSU Dept 7630, Fargo, ND, USA, 58108-6050.
- Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, NDSU Dept 7630, Fargo, ND, USA, 58108-6050.
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Room 249D Kleberg, 2471 TAMU, College Station, TX, USA, 77843-2471.
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Room 249D Kleberg, 2471 TAMU, College Station, TX, USA, 77843-2471.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, Veterinary Large Animal Hospital, 500 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, 4475 TAMU, College Station, TX, USA 77843.
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Room 249D Kleberg, 2471 TAMU, College Station, TX, USA, 77843-2471; Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, Texas A&M University, Room 309 Gilchrist, 2929 Research Parkway, College Station, TX, 77843-4243.
- Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, NDSU Dept 7630, Fargo, ND, USA, 58108-6050. Electronic address: carrie.hammer@ndsu.edu.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.
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