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2002
LSU-HHMI Summer Undergraduate Research Program |
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 Kristine
Hawkins (University of Texas – Austin) (David Horohov,
Dept. of Pathobiological Sciences, LSU School of Veterinary
Medicine) The effect of vaccination on interleukin-4
and interferon-gamma gene expression in young foals.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the changes in the
TH1/TH2 ratio in both normal and vaccinated pony foals. The
original bias in favor of the TH2 pathway (humoral response)
is hypothesized to decline over the first three months of life
due to the increasing activity of the TH1 (cell-mediated response)
pathway. Vaccination is theorized to increase the rate of this
conversion by inducing the cell-mediated response.
Of the six foals sampled for this study, two were vaccinated
at four weeks of age. Bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were performed
on all six foals shortly before the vaccination and monthly
thereafter during the three-month period of the study. The BAL
fluid was used to classify the cells of the bronchioles and
alveoli as well as to quantify cytokines. mRNA was isolated
from the fluid, and RT-PCR was performed to quantify IFN-? and
IL-4, the cytokines corresponding respectively to the TH1 and
TH2 pathways.
Although an increase in IFN-? production was expected, our RT-PCR
data was inconclusive. While there was an overall increase,
the individual variation between the foals made it impossible
to draw a general conclusion. The classification and quantification
of the alveolar and bronchial cells, however, provided strong
confirmation of the hypothesized increase in the TH1 response
pathway.
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