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Title: CYTOTOXIC T LYMPHOCYTE RESPONSE IN CHICKENS IMMUNIZED WITH A RECOMBINANT FOWLPOX VIRUS EXPRESSING MAREK'S DISEASE HERPESVIRUS GLYCOPROTEIN B

Author
item OMAR, A - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item SCHAT, K - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item Lee, Lucy
item Hunt, Henry

Submitted to: Avian Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: This manuscript analyzes the ability of a new generation vaccine (recombinant vaccine) to induce a cellular immune response to a specific protein antigen isolated from the Marek's disease virus. The results indicate that this recombinant vaccine is effective in inducing a cellular immune response. The cellular immune response induced by this recombinant vaccine is very desirable and is considered by most researchers to be the most important immune response protecting chickens from disease induced by the Marek's disease virus. These encouraging results will be used to develop and analyze more powerful vaccines to protect commercial poultry from condemnations caused by the Marek's disease virus and increase productivity for our industry.

Technical Abstract: Previously we demonstrated that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from MHC: B**19B**19 and MHC: B**21B**21 chickens inoculated with a nononcogenic Marek's disease virus (MDV) vaccine strain, SB-1/12 can lyse syngeneic reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV)-transformed cell lines expressing MDV pp38 or gB genes. In this study, we report the characterization of MDV gB- -specific CTLs in chickens immunized with recombinant fowlpox virus expressing MDV gB gene (rFPV-gB). Spleen cells from rFPV-gB inoculated MHC: B**19B**19 chickens, depleted for CD4+, CD8+, TCR gamma delta +, TCR alpha beta 1+ or TCR alpha beta 2+ cells were used as effector cells in chromium release assays. Effector cells depleted of CD8+ or TCR alpha beta 1+, but not CD4+, TCR gamma delta + or TCR alpha beta 2+ markedly reduced the percentage of specific release (%SR). Compared to the %SR caused by the SB-1/12-sensitized CTLs, the %SR caused by rFPV-gB- sensitized CTLs was low, but statistically significant. This is a first report on the induction of MDV gB-specific CD8+ CTLs in chickens immunized with rFPV-gB vaccine.