Genetic variation in Con A-induced production of interleukin 2 by porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Genetic variation in concanavalin A (Con A)-induced proliferation and interleukin 2 (IL-2) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was studied in blood collected from 96 piglets, aged 7 weeks. The piglets were the offspring of seven sires and 24 dams. Pronounced differences between litters from various dams were observed in the immune parameters measured. Also, large individual differences in the magnitudes of Con A-induced proliferation and IL-2 production were seen for PBMC collected from individual pigs within each litter. Both the time course and magnitude of IL-2 activity showed genetic variation, as results from the offspring of the seven sires differed significantly. However, only the time course, not the magnitude, of proliferation differed among the offspring groups. It was possible to establish a rank order for the sires based on the IL-2 production of PBMC by their offspring. As IL-2 has a key role in regulating the immune response, mitogen-induced IL-2 activity seems to be a good candidate as a general marker for cell-mediated immunity in pigs.