The immunogenetic analysis was performed to characterize the Korean native chickens (KNC) determined by monoclonal antibodies specific to chicken leukocyte differentiation antigens and flow cytometry. A total of 174 chickens including 58 KNC (black, brown and darkbrown colored), 77 foreign breed (Nagoya, White Reghorn, Rhode Island and Cornish) and 39 mixed breed (19 KNC with Nagoya and 20 KNC with Rhode Island) separately growing at Animal Science and Technology Institute were examined. The proportion of cells expressing MHC class II molecule (B-L in chicken) was significantly high in KNC. Proportion of CD4+ T helper cells was also higher in KNC and two mixed breed than that in foreign breed. However, proportion of CD8+ cells and TCR1 + (γ^δ T cell receptor) cells was the lowest among the breed examined. Otherwise, those proportions were significantly high in White leghorn and two mixed breeds with two exclusive subpopulations. The two subpopulations were also typically shown in MHC class II^+cells in KNC and one mixed breed, black-colored KNC with Nagoya.
Although genotypic analysis was not pursued to characterize the immunogenetic properties of KNC, difference of phenotypic expression based on leukocyte differentiation molecules could be elucidated in KNC in this study.
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