IMMUNOLOGIC STUDIES IN ECTOTHERMIC VERTEBRATES

描述(改编自调查者摘要)：总体 该项目的目标是更好地了解选择性细胞和 适应性免疫反应的亚细胞方面。建议进行的研究包括 重点关注海峡叉尾鱼，一种最能代表经济的硬骨鱼 美国重要的淡水水产养殖物种。具体目标是 四。第一项将重点放在鲶鱼B细胞上，并将包括 免疫球蛋白相关辅助分子的结构和功能研究 以及新发现的IGD重链的叉尾鱼同源物。第二 将重点放在鲶鱼T细胞上，并将包括结构性和 鲶鱼T细胞受体和IL-1受体的功能评价。这个 第三项将涉及描述一种新发现的鲶鱼种群的特征。 细胞毒细胞，以确定它们是否是鱼的同源物 对MHC分子有反应性的T细胞毒细胞(CTL)或新型 NK细胞。最后，将尝试确定该机制(S) 因此，鲶鱼的外周血白细胞可以很容易地“永生”到 功能活跃的长期二倍体细胞系 转型、再刺激或外生因素；重点将 致力于确定端粒酶、热休克蛋白、 肿瘤抑制物和癌基因产品。目前，该频道 鲶鱼是唯一一种硬骨鱼，其中有许多不同的相互关联 体外功能和分子生物学评估可以很容易地 在各种当代免疫学问题的背景下进行。 因此，该物种必须被视为一种重要的“低等脊椎动物”。 研究适应性免疫的模型系统。看起来很有可能 这些拟议研究的完成将产生重要的小说和 关于免疫的基本和应用方面的权威信息 系统发育学。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Investigator's abstract): The overall objective of this project is to better understand selective cellular and subcellular aspects of adaptive immune responses. The proposed studies are focused on the channel catfish, a teleost representing the economically most important freshwater aquaculture species in the USA. The specific aims are four. The first will be focused on catfish B-cells and will include structural and functional assessments of Ig-associated accessory molecules and the newly discovered catfish homolog of the IgD heavy chain. The second will be focused on catfish T-cells and will include structural and functional assessments of catfish T-cell receptors and Il-1 receptors. The third will involve characterizing a population of newly discovered catfish cytotoxic cells with a view to determining if they are the fish homologs of T cytotoxic cells (CTL) with reactivity for MHC molecules or a novel type of NK cells. Finally, attempts will be undertaken to define the mechanism(s) whereby catfish peripheral blood leukocytes can be readily "immortalized" to functionally active long-term diploid cell lines without apparent transformation maneuvers, restimulation or exogenous factors; emphasis will be devoted to ascertaining the roles of telomerase, heat shock proteins, tumor suppressors and oncogene products. At the present time the channel catfish represents the only teleost wherein numerous different interrelated in vitro functional and molecular biological assessments can be readily conducted in the context of a variety of contemporary immunological issues. Hence this species must be considered as an important "lower vertebrate" model system for studying adaptive immunity. It seems likely that completion of these proposed studies will yield important novel and definitive information regarding both basic and applied aspects of immune phylogeny.