Gene expression analysis of Canine demodicosis; a milieu promoting immune tolerance

Kelly, P. A., Browne, J., Peters, S., Bell, F. , McKay, J. S., Lara-Saez, I. and Breathnach, R. (2023) Gene expression analysis of Canine demodicosis; a milieu promoting immune tolerance. Veterinary Parasitology, 319, 109954. (doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.109954) (PMID:37163871)

Abstract

Canine demodicosis is a common skin disease seen in companion animal practice that results from an overpopulation of the commensal Demodex mite species. Common predisposing factors to the development of canine demodicosis include immunosuppressive diseases, such as neoplasia and hypothyroidism, and administration of immunosuppressive therapies, such as corticosteroids. Despite this, the pathogenesis of development of canine demodicosis remains unclear. Previous studies have implicated a role for increased expression of toll like receptor 2 (TLR2), increased production of interleukin (IL)-10) and T cell exhaustion. Here, we investigate gene expression of formalin fixed paraffin embedded skin samples from twelve cases of canine demodicosis in comparison to twelve healthy controls, using a 770 gene panel (NanoString Canine IO Panel). Results show an increase in the T cell population, specifically Th1 and Treg cells in dogs with demodicosis. In addition, while there is an upregulation of immunosuppressive cytokines such as IL-10 and IL-13, there is also an upregulation of immune check point molecules including PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. These findings suggest that Demodex spp. mites are modulating the host immune system to their advantage through upregulation of several immune tolerance promoting pathways.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding is acknowledged from the UCD Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund, which was financed jointly by University College Dublin and the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Biomedical Research Partnership (ref 204844/Z/16/Z).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bell, Mr Frazer

Creator Roles

Bell, F.: Methodology, Validation, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Kelly, P. A., Browne, J., Peters, S., Bell, F., McKay, J. S., Lara-Saez, I., and Breathnach, R.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Veterinary Parasitology
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0304-4017
• ISSN (Online): 1873-2550
• Published Online: 06 May 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Veterinary Parasitology 319: 109954
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License