The vertebrate immune system serves to protect individuals from disease and neoplasm. It is composed of innate and adaptive characteristics that have been well-studied in mammals but very little is known about the processes governing the development of the immune repertoire in lower vertebrates, such as fish. Thus a fish model can provide an evolutionary perspective into the processes that have shaped the vertebrate immune system. Cytotoxic and helper T-cells are derived from a common T-cell precursor that commits to either of these two lineages after receiving specific signals in the thymus through a process known as T-cell development. Two different models have been put forth to explain T-cell development in mammals. It is the goal of this study to examine this process in rainbow trout to provide a comparative approach for examining the two models. This study will assess the pathways and signals that lead to development of the two T-cell subsets in fish. Specifically, this proposal will allow for the development of tools such as monoclonal antibodies that can be used to follow the developmental program that trout T-cells utilize during their development.
This project will also serve to train and educate high school and undergraduate students in critical thought and current techniques in molecular biology and immunology. It will also show students the value of using comparative studies to solve fundamental paradigms in biology. Overall, the major objective of this project is to provide a basic understanding of the processes governing T-cell development in fish with a long-term goal of ascertaining the extent of conservation for this process in all vertebrates. These studies will have ramifications for research dealing the development of T-cells in mammals while also providing basic research and tools that can be applied to the preservation and maintenance of salmonid fish.
