Stimulation with Concanavalin-A Induces IL-17 Production by Canine Peripheral T Cells

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Comparative immunology
• Canine immunology

Background:

• Interleukin-17 (IL-17) producing cells in dogs are not well understood.
• IL-17 gene expression is found in dogs with inflammatory conditions, but its role is unclear.
• Assessing IL-17 producing cells requires measuring their frequency alongside other lymphocyte subsets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To confirm the evolutionary conservation of the T-cell IL-17 response in dogs.
• To characterize canine IL-17 producing T-cells.
• To compare canine IL-17 T-cell responses to those in humans and mice.

Main Methods:

• Stimulation of canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with Concanavalin A.
• Use of polarizing cytokines to direct T-cell differentiation.
• Detection of intracellular IL-17 using canine-specific ELISA and flow cytometry.

Main Results:

• IL-17 production was observed in stimulated CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells.
• Pro-inflammatory cytokines promoted polarization of CD4+ T-cells towards a Th17 phenotype.
• Interleukin-2 (IL-2) with Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) induced regulatory T-cell (Treg) expansion.

Conclusions:

• Canine IL-17 producing cells exhibit conserved characteristics compared to human and mouse counterparts.
• Canine T-cells can be polarized to Th17 or Treg phenotypes.
• This study provides a foundation for further investigation into IL-17's role in canine health and disease.