Viability and Function in Lymphocytes Cultured from the Horse, Chicken, and Mouse: Effects of Different Leukocyte Enrichment Techniques

Abstract

Methods of lymphocyte enrichment tend to vary across species, with the most common techniques employed being density-gradient separation and erythrocyte lysis buffer enrichment. In this study, we assessed lymphocyte viability and proliferation of avian, equine, and murine lymphocytes enriched by a commercial density-gradient technique and under identical, standardized culture conditions. The results of this study clearly show that, under identical enrichment and culture conditions, lymphocyte viability and function can be quite different among the equine, bird, and mouse species. Secondly, the type of enrichment technique employed in the mouse can impact the quality of the immune data generated.

Keywords:

• 7-AAD
• Chicken
• Horse
• Lymphocyte isolation
• Mouse
• Viability

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully recognize Ms. Joan Kalnitsky for her assistance with flow cytometry. We also thank Ms. Shannon Viers and the animal care staff for the care of animals.