Cross-reactivity of T cell-specific antibodies in the bank vole (Myodes glareolus)

J Immunol Methods. 2023 Jul 16:113524. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113524. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe bank vole is a common Cricetidae rodent that is a reservoir of several zoonotic pathogens and an emerging model in eco-immunology. Here, we add to a developing immunological toolkit for this species by testing the cross-reactivity of commercially available monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the bank vole lymphocyte differentiation molecules and a transcription factor. We show that a combination of mAbs against CD4, CD3, and Foxp3 allows flow cytometric distinction of the main subsets of T cells: putative helper CD4+, cytotoxic CD8+ (as CD3 + CD4-) and regulatory CD4 + Foxp3+. We also provide a comparative analysis of amino acid sequences of CD4, CD8αβ, CD3εγδ and Foxp3 molecules for a number of commonly studied Cricetidae rodents and discuss mAb cross-reactivity patterns reported so far in this rodent family. We found that in case of mAbs targeting the extracellular portions of commonly used T cell markers, sequence similarity is a poor prognostic of cross-reactivity. Use of more conserved, intracellular molecules or molecule fragments is a more reliable approach in non-model species, but the necessity of cell fixation limit its application in, e.g. functional studies.PMID:37463649 | DOI:10.1016/j.jim.2023.113524
Source: Journal of Immunological Methods - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research