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Title: Swine Toolkit Plans and Progress for the US Veterinary Immune Reagent Network

Author
item Lunney, Joan
item Boyd, Patricia
item Zarlenga, Dante
item ZUCKERMANN, FEDERICO - U ILLINOIS URBANA IL
item SCHNITZLEIN, WILLIAM - U ILLINOIS URBANA IL
item LABRESH, JOANNA - ST PAUL MN
item WAGNER, BETTINA - FORNELL U ITHACA NY
item BALDWIN, CYNTHIA - U MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2007
Publication Date: 8/15/2007
Citation: Lunney, J.K., Boyd, P., Zarlenga, D.S., Zuckermann, F., Schnitzlein, W., Labresh, J., Wagner, B., Baldwin, C. 2007. Swine Toolkit Plans and Progress for the US Veterinary Immune Reagent Network. 8th International Veterinary Immunology symposium, Ouro Preto, Brazil (poster). TK006

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The US Veterinary Immune Reagent Network (http://www.umass.edu/vetimm/) was established to address the lack of immunological reagents specific for ruminant, porcine, poultry, equine and aquaculture species and accordingly has set a minimum goal of 20 reagents per species group. Current plans are to produce sets of immune-related reagents: recombinant cytokines and chemokines; monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to them and their receptors; and mAb that identify the major leukocyte surface antigens, the CD antigens, the T cell receptors (TCR) and the Toll-like receptors (TLR). These entities are needed to evaluate changes in the immune system of a diseased or vaccinated animal and to test as potential biotherapeutics. For the US Swine Toolkit portion of this initiative, we first collated a list of existing swine reagents so that our priority list for new reagents could be developed. This priority list and plan was based on: 1) importance for swine immune studies; 2) significance to other toolkit efforts; 3) availability of swine sequence information; and 4) likelihood of developing the respective protein/mAb. Since many swine cytokine and CD reagents are available, our priority focused on anti-TCR'', and on chemokines and their receptors. Efforts are also underway to produce bioactive IFN-', IL-7, IL-13 and IL-15 and relevant mAb. In addition, since an anti-CD45RO mAb has not been produced from traditional efforts, a peptide immunization protocol is now being tested. Before making anti-TLR mAb, the cross reactivity of known anti-human counterparts will be tested to reduce duplication of effort. Our overall goal is to produce reagents that will function in ELISA, ELISpot, flow cytometric and immunohistochemical applications. Products developed in this proposal will be openly available to collaborators and will be made commercially available using non-exclusive licenses. These reagents are expected to benefit a large group of researchers including veterinary immunologists, pathologists, microbiologists and scientists using swine as a biomedical model for humans. This project was funded by USDA NRICGP and ARS.