Comprehensive validation of T- and B-cell deficiency in rag1-null zebrafish: Implication for the robust innate defense mechanisms of teleosts.

ABSTRACT: rag1 ^-/- zebrafish have been employed in immunological research as a useful immunodeficient vertebrate model, but with only fragmentary evidence for the lack of functional adaptive immunity. rag1-null zebrafish exhibit differences from their human and murine counterparts in that they can be maintained without any specific pathogen-free conditions. To define the immunodeficient status of rag1 ^-/- zebrafish, we obtained further functional evidence on T- and B-cell deficiency in the fish at the protein, cellular, and organism levels. Our developed microscale assays provided evidence that rag1 ^-/- fish do not possess serum IgM protein, that they do not achieve specific protection even after vaccination, and that they cannot induce antigen-specific CTL activity.

SUBMITTER: Tokunaga Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5548773 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature