Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #193162
Title: THE U.S. VETERINARY IMMUNE REAGENTS NETWORK

Author
item BALDWIN, CYNTHIA - U MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST
item HANSEN, JOHN - BIOL RES. DIV SEATTLE, WA
item HOROHOV, DAVE - U KENTUCKY, LEXINGTON
item LABRESH, JOANNA - KINGFISHER BIOTECH, MN
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item Lunney, Joan
item MILLER, NORMAN - U MISSISSIPPI, JACKSON
item WILSON, MELANIE - U MISSISSIPPI, JACKSON
item BENGTEN, EVA - U MISSISSIPPI, JACKSON
item CHINCHAR, GREGORY - U MISSISSIPPI, JACKSON
item WAGNER, BETTINA - CORNELL U, ITHACA NY

Submitted to: International Veterinary Vaccines and Diagnostics Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2006
Publication Date: 6/25/2006
Citation: Baldwin, C., Hansen, J.D., Horohov, D., Labresh, J., Lillehoj, H.S., Lunney, J.K., Miller, N.W., Wilson, M., Bengten, E., Chinchar, G., Wagner, B. 2006. The U.S. veterinary immune reagents network. In: Proceedings of International Veterinary Vaccines and Diagnostics Conference, June 25-29, 2006, Oslo, Norway. p. 34.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: As stated at USDA http://www.csrees.usda.gov, “a major obstacle to advances in veterinary immunology and disease control is the lack of sufficient immunological reagents specific for ruminants, swine, poultry, equine and aquaculture species”. Sets of reagents, i.e., monoclonal (mAb) and polyclonal antibodies, that can identify the major leukocyte subsets (T and B lymphocytes, NK cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils) are needed to evaluate changes during disease and following vaccination and to give scientists the ability to manipulate these cell populations in order to evaluate their roles in protective immunity as well as in immunopathology. In addition, it is crucial to have recombinant cytokines and chemokines and antibodies to them and their receptors to understand their contributions to inflammation and protective immunity. Reagents to identify immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes are needed since antibody isotypes differ from one another functionally and, thus, with regard to their effect on disease outcome. Development of the above reagents will address the USDA/NRI goal of enhancing the safety of the Nation's agriculture and food supply by aiding in the development of vaccines. This proposal presents a broad community plan to begin to systematically address the immunological reagent gap for the US veterinary immunology research community including for the following groups: ruminants (concentrating on cattle), swine, poultry (primarily chickens with some evaluation of reagents on turkey cells), horses and aquaculture species (concentrating on channel catfish and salmonid trout, two of the principal economically important species) with a goal of 20 reagents per species group. The reagents produced will include bioactive recombinant cytokines and chemokine proteins, expressed using mammalian cells, Pichia pastoris or E. coli systems, as well as antibodies and mAb to them, their receptors, as well as mAb to Ig isotypes, T cell receptors (TCR), Toll like receptors (TLR) and other CD molecules. Our goal is to produce antibodies that function in ELISA and ELISpot assays, for intracellular staining, for blocking function and signaling, and that are useful in flow cytometric applications as well as in fixed tissue sections. Products developed in this proposal will benefit a large group of researchers including veterinary immunologists, pathologists and microbiologists. This project was approved for funding by USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program in January 2006.