Reciprocal Relationships Between the Neuroendocrine System and Lymphoid Cells

A wide variety of environmental and psychological stressors alter the susceptibility of animals to infectious and neoplastic diseases. However, physiologic mechanisms involved in these phenomena are not understood. Acute stressors activate both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathomedullary system, which results in increased plasma concentrations of glucocorticoids and cathecholamines. Lymphoid cells possess receptors for both of these stress-related hormones, and activation of these receptors affects functional activities of lymphoid cells. In the present experiments, it is demonstrated that activation of porcine splenocytes with concanavalin A results in a two-fold increase in glucocorticoid and (beta)-adrenergic receptors with no change in the binding affinity of the receptor. Similarly, cortisol increases the number of (beta)-adrenoceptors on non-stimulated splenocytes. Cortisol prevents the concanavalin A-induced increase in glucocorticoid receptors while the (beta)-agonist, isoproterenol, prevents the mitogen-induced increase in (beta)-adrenoceptors. Both cortisol and isoproterenol increase the apparent dissociation constant of (beta)-adrenoceptors on concanavalin A-activated splenocytes, but this effect is time-related.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Animal Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Westly, Hollie J.

• Health Sciences, Immunology

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8623435

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/70039