Morphometric parameters of blood lymphocytes in American mink (Neogale vison) selected for tameness and defensive aggression toward humans.

Although there is some evidence to suggest that there is a link between behavior and immune parameters in animals, this issue is still not well understood. In particular, there is a lack of understanding of how specific behaviors affect the size of immune cells. To address this issue, we investigated the relationship between behavior and the morphometric parameters of lymphocytes in American mink (Neogale vison) that have been selectively bred for aggression and tameness toward humans at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia, for 37 years.

Effect of vitamin C supplementation on some leukocyte parameters in American mink (Neovison vison) with abnormal granulogenesis.

Sapphire mink, a mutant colour variant of American mink, is an animal model of the Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS). As in CHS, there are enlarged cytoplasmic granules in various cell types including leukocytes in Sapphire mink due to abnormal granulogenesis. Such cellular abnormality leads to a weakening of the immune defence as a consequence to the development of infections.

[MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF NEUTROPHILS AND EOSINOPHILS GRANULES IN SAPPHIRE MINKS].

It has been established that sapphire minks have abnormality of subcellular structure of blood and bone marrow neutrophils and eosinophils. The abnormality consists in forming of abnormal "giant" granules. The si- ze and the number of abnormal granules significantly change during maturation of leucocytes in bone marrow.

[SPECIFICITY OF CONTENT AND MORPHOLOGY OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD CELLS IN THREE BAT SPECIES OF KARELIA DURING HIBERNATION].

Pronounced leukopenia during hibernation was found in bats (Chiroptera) of Karelia - brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus), Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii) and northern bat (Eptesicus nilssoni). A higher content of lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils was revealed in the northern bat featuring an increased resistance to cold as compared to the Brandt's bat and the brown long-eared bat. The differences in ratio of particular lymphocyte types may be related to biological, ecological and physiological peculiarities of the species studied.

[Morphological peculiarities of peripheral blood lymphocytes in arctic foxes after administration of various doses of vitamins A and E].

The aim of this work was to study the effect of various doses of vitamins A and E on the morphometric parameters and surface architectonics peculiarities of peripheral blood lymphocytes in veiled Arctic foxes. Using light microscopy, it was found that in the blood of veiled Arctic foxes (n=30) most of the lymphocytes had relatively smooth surface, and only in some cells cytoplasmic protrusions were observed. Large doses of vitamins A and E that were introduced into animal diet, caused significant reduction of morphometric parameters in relatively smooth forms of lymphocytes, while vitamin A changed the microrelief of their surface.

[The melatonin influences on neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio of mammals blood depends on age of animals].

The influence of melatonin on age dynamics of neutrophils and lymphocytes in blood of laboratory rats kept under different light conditions and predatory mammals--farmer silver fox, raccoon dog kept under natural light (NL) was investigated. The decrease of lymphocyte level, increase neutrophils content and alteration of neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio of aged rats (24 months) kept under natural light (NL) and standard light (LD) and adult silver foxes (2-5 years) kept under natural light in comparison with juvenile animals were detected. The reduced lymphocytes level and increased neutrophil level in rats under constant light (LL) were revealed in younger ages.

[Influence of prenatal and postnatal illumination on male rat physiologycal parameters].

Influence of different light conditions on some physiological parameters of 3-month old male rats was studied. It was established that influence of constant light on mothers during pregnancy or on their posterity from birth leads to one-way changes of the antioxidant system, isoenzymatic spectrum of lactate dehydrogenase, blood indices and leucogram. However, the reaction is different and depends on moment of exposure.

[Effect of mutations affecting coat color on the blood lymphocyte structure in the American mink (Mustela vison Schreber, 1777)].

American minks with different genotypes containing the Aleutian coat color allele in the homozygous state, including the single recessive Aleutian (a/a); double recessive sapphire (a/a p/p) and lavender (m/m a/a); triple recessive violet (m/m a/a p/p); and dominant-recessive cross sapphire (S/+ a/a p/p), sapphire leopard (S(K)/+ a/a p/p), and shadow sapphire (S(H)/+ a/a p/p) minks, as well as American minks without the Aleutian allele, including the standard (+/+); single recessive silver-blue (p/p) and hedlund-white (h/h); double recessive pearl (k/k p/p), Finnish topaz (t(S)/t(S) b/b); incompletely dominant royal silver (S(R)/+), standard leopard (S(K)/+), and black crystal (C(R)/+); and dominant-recessive snowy topaz (C(R)/+ t(S)/t(S) b/b) and Kujtezhy-spotted (S(K)/+ b/b) minks have been studied. Homozygosity for the a allele has been found to disturb the subcellular structure of leukocyte, namely the formation of abnormally large granules.

[Morphology and cytochemistry of abnormal cytoplasmic granules in blood leukocytes in sapphire minks (cytological and cytochemical study)].

Detailed morphological and cytochemical investigation of blood leukocytes was performed in minks of three genotypes: dark-brown minks (n=10), which had the color resembling that of the wild type, mutant silver-blue (p/p) minks (n=10), and sapphire minks (a/a p/p) (n=10). The sapphire minks were demonstrate to have a hereditary defect of leukocyte granules containing peroxidase, nonspecific esterases and non-enzymatic cationic protein. These granules have abnormally large size, the neutrophil cytoplasm contains one to several abnormal granules, they are numerous in eosinophil and basophil cytoplasm and rare in lymphocytes and monocytes.