Immunohistochemical Characterization of Immune System Cells in Lymphoid Organs from Roe and Fallow Deer
by
, , , ,
Niccolò Fonti
1,
Francesca Parisi
1,
Francesca Millanta
1,
Maria Irene Pacini
1,
Marcello Periccioli
2 and
Alessandro Poli
1,* 1
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
2
Unità Funzionale di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria e Sicurezza Alimentare Zona Distretto Grossetana, Dipartimento di Prevenzione, Azienda USL Toscana Sud Est, Amiata Grossetana e Colline Metallifere, Viale Cimabue, 109, 58100 Grosseto, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2022, 12(21), 3064; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12213064
Submission received: 23 September 2022
/
Revised: 31 October 2022
/
Accepted: 4 November 2022
/
Published: 7 November 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Wildlife)
Simple Summary
Diseases emerging from wildlife represent a growing public health issue. Cervids share many pathogens with domestic species and humans, representing useful spontaneous models to evaluate host-pathogen balance. Histology and immunohistochemistry can help in fully understanding the pathogenesis of infection in these species, but few studies have been conducted to characterize immune cell markers. This study highlights that lymphocytes and macrophagic subsets in roe and fallow deer lymphoid tissue can be identified by a panel of commercial antibodies developed against humans. A description of the main immune cell distribution was provided. These results may support future investigations on immune cell response and pathogenesis in roe and fallow deer diseases.
Abstract
Roe and Fallow deer are common wild ruminants widely distributed in Italy. Infectious diseases of these species can potentially pose health risks to domestic animals and humans. However, few studies have been conducted in which immune system cells in these species were phenotyped. The aims of this study were to determine the cross-reactivity of a wide anti-human panel of commercial antibodies on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples and to describe the distribution of roe and fallow deer main immune cell subsets in the lymph nodes and spleen. Twenty retromandibular lymph nodes (RLNs) and spleen samples were collected from 10 roe deer and 10 fallow deer and were tested by a panel of 12 commercial anti-human antibodies. The CD79a, CD20, CD3, Iba-1, MAC387, and AM-3K antibodies were successfully labeled cells in cervine tissue, while the Foxp3 and the CD68 did not show suitable immunostaining. This study supplies the first immunohistochemical description of immune cell subpopulations in non-pathological spleen and RLNs from roe and fallow deer and provides an easily repeatable manual IHC protocol to immunolocalize cervine B-, T-cells, and macrophages subsets in FFPE tissue samples.
Keywords:
immunohistochemistry; roe deer; fallow deer; immune cells; lymph node; spleen; macrophage polarization; IHC
