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Lack of immunological responsiveness to photoperiod in a tropical rodent, Peromyscus aztecus hylocetes

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Abstract

Non-tropical rodents undergo seasonal changes in immune function and disease. It has been hypothesized that seasonal fluctuations in immunity of non-tropical rodents are due to suppressed immune function during harsh winter conditions. A logical extension of this hypothesis is that seasonal changes in immunity should be reduced or absent in tropical rodents that do not experience marked seasonal fluctuations in environmental conditions; however this hypothesis remains to be tested. The present study tested the effects of photoperiod on humoral and cell-mediated immune function of male Aztec mice (Peromyscus aztecus hylocetes). P. a. hylocetes were housed in long (L:D 16:8) or short days (L:D 8:16) for 10 weeks. Animals were then immunized with the antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Serum anti-KLH immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations and splenocyte proliferation in response to the T-cell mitogen Concanavalin A were assessed. Short-day P. a. hylocetes did not display differences in reproductive or immune measures compared with long-day mice. Collectively, these results suggest that P. a. hylocetes are reproductively and immunologically non-responsive to photoperiod. This lack of immunological responsiveness is likely due to the relative seasonal stability of their environment compared with temperate zone species.

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Abbreviations

IgG:

immunoglobulin G

KLH:

keyhole limpet hemocyanin

OD:

optical density

PBS-T:

phosphate buffered saline containing 0.05% Tween 20

MTS:

3-(4,5-demethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Brooke Buckley, Joe Casto, Joyce Hairston, Violette Renard, and Sue Yang for technical assistance, and Ed Silverman for expert animal care. We also thank Dr. Wallace Dawson and Janet Crossland from the Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center at the University of South Carolina for providing us with mice and information about the source population. This research was supported by USPHS awards NS 10596 to GED and MH 57535 to RJN. The research with animals conforms to federal NIH and USDA regulations, and was conducted with approval of our local Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Department of Biology and Program in Neural Science, Indiana University, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    G. E. Demas

  2. Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    R. J. Nelson

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  1. G. E. Demas
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  2. R. J. Nelson
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Correspondence to G. E. Demas.

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Communicated by L.C.-H. Wang

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Demas, G.E., Nelson, R.J. Lack of immunological responsiveness to photoperiod in a tropical rodent, Peromyscus aztecus hylocetes . J Comp Physiol B 173, 171–176 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-002-0325-5

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