Immune function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy pregnant bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Considerable efforts have been made to better understand the immune system of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in view of the common environmental challenges they encounter, such as exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, oil spills or harmful algal bloom biotoxins. However, little is known about how the immune system/function changes during pregnancy. Blood samples from managed care dolphins were collected as a control to measure peripheral blood mononuclear cells to assess number of regulatory T cells (n), proportion of regulatory T cells (%), CD154/CD69 expression levels (fluorescence intensity and cell counts), and cytokine levels (fluorescence intensity or real-time PCR transcript counts).

鉴于宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus）常面临多氯联苯暴露、石油泄漏及有害藻华生物毒素等环境挑战，学界已开展大量研究以深入解析其免疫系统。然而，目前对于其免疫系统/免疫功能在妊娠期间的变化规律仍不甚明晰。本研究采集人工管护海豚的血液样本作为对照，对外周血单个核细胞（peripheral blood mononuclear cells）进行检测，用以评估调节性T细胞（regulatory T cells）数量（n）、调节性T细胞占比（%）、CD154/CD69表达水平（荧光强度与细胞计数）以及细胞因子水平（荧光强度或real-time PCR转录本计数）。