Award details

Dissecting the functional impact of natural killer cell receptor variation in cattle

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001618
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor John Hammond
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	77,725
Status	Current
Type	Institute Project
Start date	31/08/2012
End date	16/10/2015
Duration	38 months

Abstract

This proposal will use information from the cattle genome and high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to completely characterise the NK cell receptor gene families in six Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. This is an economically important breed in the UK and worldwide. By comparing several animals within this breed we can determine the extent of NK cell receptor diversity. Using knowledge of these receptors, we will determine the molecules that they interact with on infected cells to control NK cell function. This will determine if animals that have dissimilar NK cell receptors are likely to respond differently to infection. Finally, we will infect particular cattle cells that are known to activate NK cells and in turn become activated by NK cells. These will be infected with a known economically important cattle pathogen, bovine herpes virus-1. We will then incubate these infected cells with NK cells that express different NK cell receptor genes. By measuring how these NK cells function and how the infected cells respond, it will be possible to determine if NK cell variation causes different immune responses.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Animal Health, Immunology, Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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