Mitchell Abrahamsen, Principal Investigator

Functional Gene Analysis of Bovine Gamma/Delta T-Lymphocytes in Response to Mucosal Pathogens

T-lymphocytes bearing the gamma/delta T cell receptor (TCR) are a subgroup of T cells whose function remains largely unknown. Evidence suggests that they are important in host responses against various pathogenic infections, but we have only limited knowledge of their biology. This project will use functional genomics techniques to analyze the entire repertoire of genes expressed in a specific cell population. Comparing gene expression profiles of gamma/delta T cells in response to various mucosal pathogens will allow these researchers to determine what gene products correlate well with and define the functional activities of gamma/delta T cells.