Maternal immunity enhances systemic recall immune responses upon oral immunization of piglets with F4 fimbriae

F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause diarrhoea and mortality in piglets leading to severe economic losses. Oral immunization of piglets with F4 fimbriae induces a protective intestinal immune response evidenced by an F4-specific serum and intestinal IgA response. However, successful oral immunization of pigs with F4 fimbriae in the presence of maternal immunity has not been demonstrated yet. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the effect of maternal immunity on the induction of a systemic immune response upon oral immunization of piglets. Whereas F4-specific IgG and IgA could be induced by oral immunization of pigs without maternal antibodies and by intramuscular immunization of pigs with maternal antibodies, no such response was seen in the orally immunized animals with maternal antibodies. Since maternal antibodies can mask an antibody response, we also looked by ELIspot assays for circulating F4-specific antibody secreting cells (ASCs). Enumerating the F4-specific ASCs within the circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the number of F4-specific IgA ASCs within the circulating IgA+ B-cells revealed an F4-specific immune response in the orally immunized animals with maternal antibodies. Interestingly, results suggest a more robust IgA booster response by oral immunization of pigs with than without maternal antibodies. These results demonstrate that oral immunization of piglets with F4-specific maternal antibodies is feasible and that these maternal antibodies seem to enhance the secondary systemic immune response. Furthermore, our ELIspot assay on enriched IgA+ B-cells could be used as a screening procedure to optimize mucosal immunization protocols in pigs with maternal immunity

IgA in the horse: cloning of equine polymeric Ig receptor and J chain and characterization of recombinant forms of equine IgA

As in other mammals, immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the horse has a key role in immune defense. To better dissect equine IgA function, we isolated complementary DNA (cDNA) clones for equine J chain and polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR). When coexpressed with equine IgA, equine J chain promoted efficient IgA polymerization. A truncated version of equine pIgR, equivalent to secretory component, bound with nanomolar affinity to recombinant equine and human dimeric IgA but not with monomeric IgA from either species. Searches of the equine genome localized equine J chain and pIgR to chromosomes 3 and 5, respectively, with J chain and pIgR coding sequence distributed across 4 and 11 exons, respectively. Comparisons of transcriptional regulatory sequences suggest that horse and human pIgR expression is controlled through common regulatory mechanisms that are less conserved in rodents. These studies pave the way for full dissection of equine IgA function and open up possibilities for immune-based treatment of equine diseases

Secretory Component (sc) - Preferential Binding To Heavy (greater-than-11s) Iga Polymers and Igm in Serum, in Contrast To Predominance of 11s and Free Sc Forms in Secretions

The origin and molecular form(s) of the small amounts of secretory component (SC) found in serum are but poorly known. Using sensitive immunoradiometric assays for SC, we studied its molecular distribution after ultracentrifugation of native sera containing various proportions of IgA and IgM, with SC levels (sIgA equivalents) ranging from 4 to 25 micrograms/ml. Large proportions of SC were found bound to IgM and IgA polymers heavier than the classical 11S sIgA, in contrast to saliva and bile where SC was found mainly in the 11S region and in the free form. A comparative study of the ultracentrifugal distribution of labelled free SC, incubated in vitro with sera containing various proportions of IgA and IgM, yielded similar results, indicating a direct relationship between the proportion of IgM-bound SC and the IgM concentration. Free SC in serum was only found in the in vitro experiments. The data suggest that the epithelial cells synthesizing SC not only release (secrete?) SC as pre-assembled SC-Ig complexes in lymph or plasma, but also directly release some SC in free form