Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
humanized mice, production of human antibodies, human immune system
College
Life Sciences
Department
Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Abstract
The human immune system is composed of two main subsets: innate and adaptive immunities. Among the adaptive immune cells, B cells play a vital role in stopping infectious agents through the production of antigen specific antibodies. Human B cells are important targets of infection for many human-specific viruses that are poorly understood. Since the infection and study of human subjects is not possible, animal models have been developed to mimic the human immune environment. Rag2-/-γc-/- mice engrafted with human hematopoietic stem cells produce human B lymphocytes and these cells are capable of mounting antigen-specific human antibody responses. However, there is concern in the field that the frequency of specific antibody responses in humanized mice is somewhat low and inconsistent, and it is unclear why some humanized mice respond to antigenic challenge better than others. We hypothesize that it is necessary to allow full development of the human immune system in this model prior to exposure to antigens if robust and consistent human antibody responses are to be detected.
Recommended Citation
Hallam, Steven and Berges, Dr. Bradford
(2015)
"Use of humanized mice to study the production of human antibodies,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2015:
Iss.
1, Article 136.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2015/iss1/136