Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and spontaneous cell-mediated cytotoxicity against cells infected with porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether porcine peripheral blood leukocytes and intestinal intraepithelial leukocytes can mediate antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and spontaneous cell-mediated cytotoxicity against target cells infected with transmissible gastroenteritis virus. Peripheral blood leukocytes collected from six young adult pigs and intraepithelial leukocytes from a further five pigs were used as effector cells in chromium release assays against PK-15 cells persistently infected with transmissible gastroenteritis virus. Both peripheral blood leukocytes and intraepithelial leukocytes were capable of mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and spontaneous cell-mediated cytotoxicity against PK-15 transmissible gastroenteritis cells. While the peripheral blood leukocytes mediated lower levels of specific 51Cr release in spontaneous cell-mediated cytotoxicity than in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, the intraepithelial leukocytes were more effective in spontaneous cell-mediated cytotoxicity than antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity.