Elucidating the Functional Roles of Helper and Cytotoxic T Cells in the Cell-Mediated Immune Responses of Olive Flounder (<i>Paralichthys olivaceus</i>)

In higher vertebrates, helper and cytotoxic T cells, referred to as CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes, respectively, are mainly associated with adaptive immunity. The adaptive immune system in teleosts involves T cells equivalent to those found in mammals. We previously generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jae Wook Jung, Ae Rin Lee, Jaesung Kim, Young Rim Kim, Jassy Mary S. Lazarte, Jung Suk Lee, Kim D. Thompson, Hyeongsu Kim, Tae Sung Jung
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/2/847
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Summary:In higher vertebrates, helper and cytotoxic T cells, referred to as CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes, respectively, are mainly associated with adaptive immunity. The adaptive immune system in teleosts involves T cells equivalent to those found in mammals. We previously generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against olive flounder (<i>Paralichthys olivaceus</i>) CD4 T cells, CD4-1 and CD4-2, and used these to describe the olive flounder’s CD4 Tcell response during a viral infection. In the present study, we successfully produced mAbs against CD8 T lymphocytes and their specificities were confirmed using immuno-blotting, immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry analysis andreverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that these mAbs are specific for CD8 T lymphocytes. We also investigated variations in CD4 and CD8 T cells populations, and analyzed the expression of immune-related genes expressed by these cells in fish infected with nervous necrosis virus or immunized with thymus dependent and independent antigens. We found that both CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte populations significantly increased in these fish and Th1-related genes were up-regulated compared to the control group. Collectively, these findings suggest that the CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in olive flounder are similar to the helper and cytotoxic T cells found in mammals, and Th1 and cytotoxic immune responses are primarily involved in the early adaptive immune response against extracellular antigens.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067