Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5521990 | Journal of Immunological Methods | 2017 | 7 Pages |
â¢First isolation and functional characterisation of ferret lymphocytesâ¢Ferret Lymphocytes display similar distribution to laboratory animals and humans.â¢Novel CD4 mAb detects its antigen following PFA fixation.â¢Enhancement of infectious disease immunology through use of ferret model
The ferret is an established animal model for a number of human respiratory viral infections, such as influenza virus and more recently, Ebola virus. However, a paucity of immunological reagents has hampered the study of cellular immune responses. Here we describe the development and characterisation of a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the ferret CD4 antigen and the characterisation of ferret CD4 T lymphocytes. Recombinant production and purification of the ferret CD4 ectodomain soluble protein allowed hybridoma generation and the generation of a mAb (FeCD4) showing strong binding to ferret CD4 protein and lymphoid cells by flow cytometry. FeCD4 bound to its cognate antigen post-fixation with paraformaldehyde (PFA) which is routinely used to inactivate highly pathogenic viruses. We have also used FeCD4 in conjunction with other immune cell markers to characterise ferret T cells in both primary and secondary lymphoid organs. In summary, we have developed an important reagent for the study of cellular immunological responses in the ferret model of infectious disease.