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Loss of αβ but not γδ T cells in chickens causes a severe phenotype.

Theresa von HeylRomina KlingerDorothea AumannChristian ZennerMohanned Naif AlhussienAntonina SchlickenriederKamila LengyelHanna-Kaisa VikkulaTeresa MittermairBenjamin SchusserBenjamin Schusser
Published in: European journal of immunology (2023)
The availability of genetically modified mice has facilitated the study of mammalian T cells. No model has yet been developed to study these cells in chickens, an important livestock species with a high availability of γδ T cells. To investigate the role of γδ and αβ T cell populations in birds, we generated chickens lacking these T cell populations. This was achieved by genomic deletion of the constant region of the T cell receptor γ or β chain, leading to a complete loss of either γδ or αβ T cells. Our results show that a deletion of αβ T cells but not γδ T cells resulted in a severe phenotype in knockout chickens. The αβ T cell knockout chickens exhibited granulomas associated with inflammation of the spleen and the proventriculus. Immunophenotyping of αβ T cell knockout chickens revealed a significant increase in monocytes and expectedly the absence of CD4 + T cells including FoxP3 + regulatory T cells. Surprisingly there was no increase of γδ T cells. In addition, we observed a significant decrease in immunoglobulins, B lymphocytes, and changes in the bursa morphology. Our data reveal the consequences of T cell knockouts in chickens and provide new insights into their function in vertebrates. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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