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Functional characterization of neotropical snakes peripheral blood leukocytes subsets: Linking flow cytometry cell
Marcelo Pires Nogueira de Carvalho1, Nicolle Gilda Teixeira Queiroz-Hazarbassanov1, Cristina de Oliveira Massoco1
1Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Avenida Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, São Paulo CEP: 05508-270, Brazil.
Abstract:
Reptiles are the unique ectothermic amniotes, providing the key link between ectothermic anamniotes fish and amphibians, and endothermic birds and mammals; becoming an important group to study with the aim of providing significant knowledge into the evolutionary history of vertebrate immunity. Classification systems for reptiles' leukocytes have been described by their appearance rather than function, being still inconsistent. With the advent of modern techniques and the establishment of analytical protocols for snakes' blood by flow cytometry, we bring a qualitative and quantitative assessment of innate activities presented by snakes' peripheral blood leukocytes, thereby linking flow cytometric features with fluorescent and light microscopy images. Moreover, since corticosterone is an important immunomodulator in reptiles, hormone levels of all blood samples were measured. We provide novel and additional information which should contribute to better understanding of the development of the immune system of reptiles and vertebrates.