Overall project: The Swine Leukocyte Antigen (SLA) Complex: Molecular Genetics and Importance in Veterinary Vaccine Research

Short project description: Livestock species are a major source of animal protein worldwide. To ensure animal health and food safety, it is essential to prevent infectious diseases via biosecurity and use of well-designed vaccines and therapeutics. Advances in genomics have informed our understanding of the complexity of the immune system and the genes that influence disease and vaccine responses, with the most important being the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Viral, bacterial and parasitic infections have severe influences on animal welfare and livestock economy. Development of an adaptive immune system to fight off these infections relies on effective activation of T lymphocytes and their recognition of pathogen-derived peptides presented by MHC molecules to T cell receptors (TCR). The highly polymorphic nature of the MHC allows for the presentation of a wide panel of antigenic peptides and thus influences disease resistance and vaccine responsiveness.

In Europe, swine represent economically important farm animals and furthermore have become a preferred preclinical large animal model for biomedical studies, transplantation and regenerative medicine research. The need for typing of the swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) is increasing with the expanded use of pigs as models for human diseases and organ transplantation experiments and their use in infection studies and for design of veterinary vaccines. In this study, we characterise the SLA class I (SLA-1, SLA-2, SLA-3) and class II (DRB1, DQB1, DQA) genes of farmed pigs representing various commercial pig lines by low-resolution (Lr) SLA haplotyping. Further reading: Anim Genet. 2021 Aug; 52(4): 523–531. Published online 2021 May 24. doi: 10.1111/age.13090

Previous knowledge/prerequisites

• BSc Degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedicine or a related subject
• Basic knowledge in molecular genetics and immunology
• Experience with basic molecular techniques
• Profound English language skills are welcome but not mandatory
• Previous experience with veterinary immunology or immunogenetics is beneficial

Additional comments: If you are interested and would like to be part of the immunology research team, please send a cover letter and a curriculum vitae to Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine E. Hammer

Planned duration of the thesis project: From March 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024

Name of the research unit: Institute of Immunology at the Department of Pathobiology

Supervisor:  Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine E. Hammer

Interested candidates may reply until February 16, 2024