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Published on: August 15, 2019
Direct comparison of canine and human immune responses using transcriptomic and functional analyses
Lyndah Chow1, William Wheat2, Dominique Ramirez2,3
1Flint Animal Cancer Center, Department of Clinical Sciences and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1678, Fort Collins, CO, USA. Lyndah.Chow@colostate.edu.
Canine and human immune cells show similarities but also key differences in their responses to activation. Understanding these variations is crucial for developing effective canine cancer immunotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Comparative immunology
- Cancer immunotherapy
Background:
- Canine cancer models are vital for testing new immunotherapies.
- Leukocyte subsets and phenotypes are similar between dogs and humans.
- Detailed comparison of T cell and antigen-presenting cell functionality is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare canine and human T cell and macrophage responses to immune activation.
- To inform the interpretation of immune response data in canine cancer studies.
- To evaluate potential toxicities of novel cancer immunotherapies in dogs.
Main Methods:
- In vitro assays comparing transcriptomic, cytokine, and proliferative responses.
- Analysis of activated canine and human T cells and macrophages.
- Pathway analysis of gene expression data.
Main Results:
- Shared and unique immune pathways identified in activated T cells.
- Human T cells showed a Th1 bias; canine T cells were less transcriptionally active.
- Canine T cells produced less IFN-γ, while canine macrophages were more responsive to IFN-γ.
Conclusions:
- Broad similarities exist in immune activation responses between dogs and humans.
- Key quantitative and qualitative differences in T cell responses were observed.
- These differences must be considered when designing and evaluating canine cancer immunotherapy studies.
