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Isolation of Lymphocytes from Mouse Genital Tract Mucosa
Published on: September 3, 2012
Isolation and characterization of lymphocyte-like cells from a lamprey
Werner E Mayer1, Tatiana Uinuk-Ool, Herbert Tichy
1Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Immungenetik, Corrensstrasse 42, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Insights
Researchers identified lymphocyte-like cells in sea lamprey intestines, finding genes crucial for immune responses. This suggests early evolution of adaptive immunity in jawless vertebrates.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Marine Biology
Background:
- Lymphocytes are key immune cells in jawed vertebrates, mediating adaptive immunity.
- Understanding lymphocyte origins requires studying primitive jawless vertebrates like sea lampreys.
- Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) possess an ancient immune system, offering insights into vertebrate immune evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize lymphocyte-like cells in the sea lamprey intestine.
- To identify genes expressed in these cells and infer their immune functions.
- To explore the evolutionary stage of lamprey lymphocytes in relation to adaptive immunity.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of lymphocyte-like cells from sea lamprey intestine using flow cytometry.
- Construction and sequencing of a cDNA library from purified lamprey cells (over 8,000 ESTs).
- Bioinformatic homology searches against existing sequence databases.
Main Results:
- Lamprey cells were morphologically similar to mammalian lymphocytes.
- Identified numerous expressed sequence tags (ESTs) homologous to mammalian lymphocyte genes involved in lymphopoiesis, signaling, proliferation, migration, and innate immunity.
- Found genes related to antigen processing and peptide transport, but no homologs for MHC, T cell receptor, or Ig genes.
Conclusions:
- Sea lamprey possess lymphocyte-like cells with conserved molecular machinery for immune functions.
- The identified genes suggest lamprey lymphocytes are involved in innate immunity and possess precursors for adaptive immune pathways.
- Lamprey lymphocytes represent an evolutionary stage poised for the development of adaptive immunity, preceding the emergence of jawed vertebrates.
Abstract:
Lymphocyte-like cells in the intestine of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, were isolated by flow cytometry under light-scatter conditions used for the purification of mouse intestinal lymphocytes. The purified lamprey cells were morphologically indistinguishable from mammalian lymphocytes. A cDNA library was prepared from the lamprey lymphocyte-like cells, and more than 8,000 randomly selected clones were sequenced. Homology searches comparing these ESTs with sequences deposited in the databases led to the identification of numerous genes homologous to those predominantly or characteristically expressed in mammalian lymphocytes, which included genes controlling lymphopoiesis, intracellular signaling, proliferation, migration, and involvement of lymphocytes in innate immune responses. Genes closely related to those that in gnathostomes control antigen processing and transport of antigenic peptides could be ascertained, although no sequences with significant similarity to MHC, T cell receptor, or Ig genes were found. The data suggest that the evolution of lymphocytes in the lamprey has reached a stage poised for the emergence of adaptive immunity.
