Porcine CD3 epsilon: its characterization, expression and involvement in activation of porcine T lymphocytes

The cloning, characterization and expression of porcine CD3 epsilon and establishment of its role in T-cell activation using an anti-porcine CD3 epsilon monoclonal antibody, as described here, provides a first step towards a greater understanding of the porcine immune response. Porcine CD3 epsilon was cloned from a porcine T-cell cDNA library by polymerase chain reaction and found to have up to 72% identity with other CD3 epsilon chains, retaining all the necessary primary structural motifs for correct functioning of porcine CD3 epsilon. When expressed in COS7 cells porcine CD3 epsilon was an intracellularly localized, monomeric 23,000 MW protein exhibiting no evidence of N-glycosylation. A monoclonal antibody, PPT3, recognized expressed porcine CD3 epsilon and activated porcine T cells as demonstrated by stimulation of calcium mobilization, an increase in protein tyrosine phosphorylation and proliferation. These results further reaffirm and identify CD3 epsilon as an important cell surface protein involved in signal transduction of activation signals in porcine T cells.