CD8B gene expression in different tissues of Kermani sheep

The understanding of fundamental immune indicators, especially T-lymphocyte parameters, is crucial for research into sheep diseases and vaccines, as well as to reduce antibiotic usage and improve sheep welfare. CD8 (gene encoding beta chain of T-cell surface glycoprotein) is a co-receptor molecule expressed on the surface of Cytotoxic T cells. Due to the role and importance of this gene in the immune system, this gene's expression was examined in different Kermani sheep tissues. Samples were taken from the spleen, liver, and heart of three Kermani lambs with almost the same weight at slaughter. Total RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized. Real-Time PCR using Syber Green was applied for estimating gene expression levels. Beta-actin gene was used as an internal control. For analyzing Real-Time PCR data, Prism software, ΔΔCT method was used. The results showed that CD8B was expressed in all three tissues, with more expression in the liver (18.06) and spleen (16.28) and less expression in the heart (1.94). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between all tissues. Expression in the liver and spleen tissue was significantly higher than in heart tissue (P<0.001). While CD8B expression was higher in immune-related tissues, there were significant differences in all tissues. Thus, by conducting supplementary experiments and understanding its mechanisms, we can find out why animals exhibit different levels of expression and use this variation to enhance animal performance.