Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Armin Saalmüller

Title

Phenotypic and functional characterization of porcine T lymphocytes

Abstract

T lymphocytes play a central role in the antigen-specific immune response against pathogens. Analyses of porcine T lymphocytes with specific monoclonal antibodies against CD4 and CD8 differentiation antigens revealed differences in the composition of the porcine T-lymphocyte population compared to other species. In addition to the known subpopulations, CD4⁺CD8^- T helper cells and CD4^-CD8⁺ cytolytic T lymphocytes, extra-thymic CD4⁺CD8⁺ T lymphocytes and a substantial proportion of CD4^-CD8^- T cells could be detected in swine. Functional analyses of porcine T-lymphocyte subpopulations revealed the existence of two T-helper cell fractions with the phenotype CD4⁺CD8^- and CD4⁺CD8⁺. Both were reactive in primary immune responses in vitro, whereas only cells derived from the CD4⁺CD8⁺ T-helper-cell subpopulation were able to respond to recall antigen in a secondary immune response. With regard to T lymphocytes with cytolytic activities, two subsets within the CD4^-CD8⁺ T-cell subpopulation could be defined with either spontaneous cytolytic activity or MHC I-restricted cytolytic T lymphocytes including virus-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes. These results enable now a detailed view into the porcine T-cell population and the reactivity of specific T cells involved in the porcine immune response against pathogens. Furthermore this knowledge offers the possibility to investigate specific interactions of porcine T lymphocytes with virus-specific epitopes during vaccination and viral infections.

CV

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Armin Saalmüller

Armin Saalmüller (47), studied Biology in Stuttgart, Konstanz and Tübingen and obtained 1988 his “Dr. rer. nat.” and 1999 his “venia legendi” for microbiology from the Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen. 2004 he was appointed to the chair of Clinical Immunology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Before he moved to Vienna he worked as immunologist for about 20 years at the Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals in Tübingen. His main scientific topics in veterinary immunology were the characterisation of the porcine immune system and its interaction with viral pathogens. In this frame he was in charge of several EU-funded projects about African Swine Fever Virus, Classical Swine Fever Virus and Foot-and Mouth Disease Virus. With regard to basic immunology, he was responsible for several workshops for the characterisation of porcine leukocyte differentiation antigens and chaired the section “Animal homologues” in frame of the 8^th Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigen workshop (HLDA8). At the Clinical Immunology in Vienna, Armin Saalmüller extended his scientific work on the immune system of other species and he started to work on the characterisation of feline and canine immune responses. Armin Saalmüller’s scientific work is documented in about 100 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He is member of the Editorial Boards of “Veterinary Research” and “Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology”.