U.S. Veterinary Immune Reagent Network

The use of large animals as intermediate models in immunological research has been hampered by the availability of immune reagents for many years. The U.S. Veterinary Immune Reagent Network is collaborative project funded by the USDA to develop key reagents for immunological research in domestic animals. Reagents for five species (cattle, pig, horse, poultry, and fish) are developed by three core facilities. Then, the new reagents will be distributed to the species communities for further characterization and testing.

More than 50 laboratories within the United States participate in this network. Our group at Cornell is one of the three core facilities producing recombinant proteins (immunoglobulins, TCRs, cytokine and chemokine receptors, and various CD molecules) for all species. We use a novel equine IgG fusion protein expression system that our laboratory has developed previously and that has already been used successfully to develop various recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies for immunological research in large animals.

Detection of equine CCL11 in PBMC stimulated in vitro with anti-equine CCL11 mAb.
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of four healthy adult horses were used ex vivo, cultured in vitro in medium alone, or stimulated with LPS, or PMA/ionomycin for 2–24 hours. After harvesting, the cells were fixed and intracellular staining was performed with anti-CCL11 mAb 24. (A, B) CCL11 was analyzed within all PBMC and a gate determined by the isotype control. (A) Percentages (mean and SEM) of CCL11+ expressing cells in PBMC are shown. The dotted line displays the mean percentages of the isotype control. (B) Examples of representative CCL11 detection in PBMC cultured with different stimuli for 12 hours.

Please also see our list of monoclonal specific equine cytokines, chemokines, immunoglobulins, and CD markers developed by the Wagner lab. If you are interested in learning more or obtaining monoclonal antibodies, please contact Dr. Bettina Wagner.

References

  1. IgE-Binding Monocytes Have an Enhanced Ability to Produce IL-8 (CXCL8) in Animals with Naturally Occurring Allergy

    Larson EM, Babasyan S, Wagner B

    J Immunol. 2021 May 15;206(10):2312-2321. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001354. Epub 2021 May 5.

  2. New mAbs facilitate quantification of secreted equine TNF-α and flow cytometric analysis in monocytes and T cells

    Schnabel CL, Babasyan S, Freer H, Larson EM, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2021 Aug;238:110284. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2021.110284. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

  3. C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) production in equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells identified by newly generated monoclonal antibodies

    Schnabel CL, Wemette M, Babasyan S, Freer H, Baldwin C, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2018 Oct;204:28-39. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.09.003. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

  4. CXCL10 production in equine monocytes is stimulated by interferon-gamma

    Schnabel CL, Babasyan S, Freer H, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2019 Jan;207:25-30. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.11.016. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

  5. A monoclonal antibody for detection of intracellular and secreted interleukin-2 in horses

    Freer H, Hillegas JM, Wimer C, Baldwin C, LaBresh J, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2017 Sep;191:30-35. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2017.07.011. Epub 2017 Jul 31.

  6. Quantification of equine immunoglobulin A in serum and secretions by a fluorescent bead-based assay

    Schnabel CL, Babasyan S, Freer H, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2017 Jun;188:12-20. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2017.04.001. Epub 2017 Apr 10.

  7. Generation and characterization of a monoclonal antibody against canine tissue factor

    Stokol T, Daddona J, DeLeonardis C, Dong L, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2015 Oct 15;167(3-4):178-84. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.07.001. Epub 2015 Jul 3.

  8. Production of seven monoclonal equine immunoglobulins isotyped by multiplex analysis

    Keggan A, Freer H, Rollins A, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2013 Jun 15;153(3-4):187-93. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2013.02.010. Epub 2013 Feb 19.

  9. Cytokine production and proliferation upon in vitro oligodeoxyribonucleotide stimulation of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells

    Wattrang E, Palm AK, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2012 Apr 15;146(2):113-24. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2012.02.004. Epub 2012 Feb 16.

  10. Interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 production by T helper cells reveals intact Th1 and regulatory TR1 cell activation and a delay of the Th2 cell response in equine neonates and foals

    Wagner B, Burton A, Ainsworth D

    Vet Res. 2010 Jul-Aug;41(4):47. doi: 10.1051/vetres/2010019. Epub 2010 Apr 9.

  11. Monoclonal antibodies to equine CD14

    Kabithe E, Hillegas J, Stokol T, Moore J, Wagner B

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2010 Nov 15;138(1-2):149-53. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2010.07.003. Epub 2010 Jul 31.

  12. Development of a bead-based multiplex assay for simultaneous quantification of cytokines in horses

    Wagner B, Freer H

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2009 Feb 15;127(3-4):242-8. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2008.10.313. Epub 2008 Oct 18.

  13. Monoclonal antibodies to equine interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha): new tools to neutralize IFN-activity and to detect secreted IFN-alpha

    Wagner B, Hillegas JM, Flaminio MJ, Wattrang E

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2008 Oct 15;125(3-4):315-25. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2008.05.016. Epub 2008 May 24.

  14. Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to equine interleukin-10 and detection of T regulatory 1 cells in horses

    Wagner B, Hillegas JM, Brinker DR, Horohov DW, Antczak DF

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2008 Mar 15;122(1-2):57-64. Epub 2007 Oct 24.

  15. Monoclonal antibodies to equine IgM improve the sensitivity of West Nile virus-specific IgM detection in horses

    Wagner B, Glaser A, Hillegas JM, Erb H, Gold C, Freer H

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2008 Mar 15;122(1-2):46-56. Epub 2007 Dec 3.

  16. A monoclonal antibody to equine interleukin-4

    Wagner B, Hillegas JM, Antczak DF

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2006 Apr 15;110(3-4):363-7. Epub 2006 Feb 9.

  17. Horse cytokine/IgG fusion proteins--mammalian expression of biologically active cytokines and a system to verify antibody specificity to equine cytokines

    Wagner B, Robeson J, McCracken M, Wattrang E, Antczak DF

    Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2005 May 1;105(1-2):1-14.

  18. The complete map of the Ig heavy chain constant gene region reveals evidence for seven IgG isotypes and for IgD in the horse

    Wagner B, Miller DC, Lear TL, Antczak DF

    J Immunol. 2004 Sep 1;173(5):3230-42.