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The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) regulates IgG and albumin homeostasis, mediates maternal IgG transport, takes an active role in phagocytosis, and delivers antigen for presentation. We have previously shown that overexpression of FcRn in transgenic mice significantly improves the humoral immune response. Because rabbits are an important source of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, adaptation of our FcRn overexpression technology in this species would bring significant advantages. We cloned the full length cDNA of the rabbit FcRn alpha-chain and found that it is similar to its orthologous analyzed so far. The rabbit FcRn - IgG contact residues are highly conserved, and based on this we predicted pH dependent interaction, which we confirmed by analyzing the pH dependent binding of FcRn to rabbit IgG using yolk sac lysates of rabbit fetuses by Western blot. Using immunohistochemistry, we detected strong FcRn staining in the endodermal cells of the rabbit yolk sac membrane, while the placental trophoblast cells and amnion showed no FcRn staining. Then, using BAC transgenesis we generated transgenic rabbits carrying and overexpressing a 110 kb rabbit genomic fragment encoding the FcRn. These transgenic rabbits – having one extra copy of the FcRn when hemizygous and two extra copies when homozygous - showed improved IgG protection and an augmented humoral immune response when immunized with a variety of different antigens. Our results in these transgenic rabbits demonstrate an increased immune response, similar to what we described in mice, indicating that FcRn overexpression brings significant advantages for the production of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies.

The aim of this study was to develop a method to generate identical twins and triplets with predicted gender. As a first step toward that aim, single blastomeres obtained from EGFP expressing eight-cell stage embryos and either diploid or tetraploid host embryos were used to compose chimera. We could follow the fate of EGFP expressing diploid blastomere derived cells in 3.5- and 4.5-day-old chimera embryos in vitro. We found that the diploid blastomere-derived cells had significantly higher chance to contribute to the inner cell mass if tetraploid host embryos were applied. After that, we developed a quick and reliable multiplex PCR strategy for sex diagnosis from single blastomeres by simultaneous amplification of the homologous ZFX and ZFY genes. By composed chimeras using single blastomeres, derived from sexed eight-cell stage embryos and a tetraploid host embryo, we could get preplanned sex newborns, wholly derived from these blastomeres. Among these mice, identical twins and a triplet were identified by microsatellite analysis. Unlike clones produced by nuclear transfer, these mice are identical at both the nuclear as well as mitochondrial DNA level. Therefore, the tetraploid embryo complementation method to produce monozygotic twins and triplets could be a valuable tool both in biomedical and agricultural applications.

Bleomycin is an antibiotic used to treat a variety of neoplasms. A major side-effect of bleomycin therapy is the induction of an intense inflammatory response that develops into pulmonary fibrosis. Several studies have shown that certain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish oil reduce the inflammatory response in vivo. Fish oil has been employed for the treatment of several pathologies such as glomerulonephritis, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and even as an adjuvant in cancer therapy. This study examined the effects of fish oil treatment on the development of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Mice were intraperitoneally treated with bleomycin or with saline daily for 10 days, and 15 days after the last injection they started to receive fish oil by gavage for 14 days. The lungs were processed for light microscopy, biochemical and immunohistochemical investigations. Fish oil did not prevent the development of pulmonary fibrosis after the injury as shown by light microscopy, cytokines immunohistochemical analysis, TBARS content and protein levels in the lung. In addition however, fish oil itself induced a slight inflammatory process in the lung, as observed by the increase in cellularity, vasodilatation in the lung parenchyma, TBARS content, and a slight increase in the lung protein content.