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Mitogen‐induced responses in lymphocytes from platypus, the Tasmanian devil and the eastern barred bandicoot
Author(s) -
Stewart NJ,
Bettiol SS,
Kreiss A,
Fox N,
Woods GM
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2008.00349.x
Subject(s) - bandicoot , pokeweed mitogen , biology , marsupial , platypus , monotreme , concanavalin a , lymphocyte , population , immune system , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , immunology , zoology , genetics , medicine , systematics , in vitro , taxonomy (biology) , environmental health
Objective As the platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ), the Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisi ) and the eastern barred bandicoot ( Perameles gunni ) are currently at risk of serious population decline or extinction from fatal diseases in Tasmania, the goal of the present study was to describe the normal immune response of these species to challenge using the lymphocyte proliferation assay, to give a solid basis for further studies. Methods For this preliminary study, we performed lymphocyte proliferation assays on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from the three species. We used the common mitogens phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (ConA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). Results All three species recorded the highest stimulation index (SI) with the T‐cell mitogens PHA and ConA. Tasmanian devils and bandicoots had greater responses than platypuses, although variability between individual animals was high. Conclusion For the first time, we report the normal cellular response of the platypus, the Tasmanian devil and the eastern barred bandicoot to a range of commonly used mitogens.