Julia Kydd

Contact

• workRoom B74 Veterinary Academic Building
  Sutton Bonington Campus
  Sutton Bonington
  Leicestershire
  LE12 5RD
  UK
• work0115 951 6448
• fax0115 951 6440
• julia.kydd@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Julia Kydd graduated from the University of Dundee with a BSc (Hons) in Zoology. This was followed by an MSc in Equine Studies awarded by the University College of Wales (Aberystwyth), as part of which she undertook a scientific research project at the Equine Fertility Unit which was part of the AFRC's Animal Research Station in Cambridge under the supervision of Professor W.R. (Twink) Allen. She then spent 4 years as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Unit, assisting in equine embryo transfer and during that time became interested in the mare's immune response to pregnancy. This led to the award of a PhD from Girton College, Cambridge. Her subsequent employment was as a post-doctoral research assistant in the Equine Virology Unit at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, working with Professor Duncan Hannant on Equine Herpesvirus-1. Julia joined the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science in 2006.

Expertise Summary

Responsibilities

Julia Kydd is a Lecturer in Applied Immunology and is one of the Senior Tutors within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science with the responsibility for supporting students. She is co-convenor with Professor Martin Green of the Research Methods Module and assists in delivery of teaching on several other modules.

Research Interests

Equine herpesvirus-1: In recent years, my research has focussed on Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) which causes respiratory and neurological disease and late gestation abortion in horses. This virus is a particular problem within the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industries and the majority of funding has been generously provided by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, but EHV-1 can infect domestic and wild equids of any age or breed. Current vaccines are used extensively within the Thoroughbred and sports horse industries and these contain inactivated virus which stimulate high titres of virus neutralising antibody in the blood. This immune response is successful in reducing the amount and duration of virus which is shed from the nasopharynx. The major downfall of these vaccines is their failure to prevent the development of a cell associated viraemia, by which infectious virus is disseminated from the respiratory tract via the blood circulation to the endothelial cells of the pregnant endometrium and spinal cord. Collaborative research with colleagues at the Institute for Animal Health, Compton (Dr Shirley Ellis), Cornell University (Dr Bettina Wagner and Prof Doug Antczak) and Colorado State University (Dr Gisela Soboll and Prof Paul Lunn) has therefore focussed on cellular immune responses and how these are associated with protection. We have focussed on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and the identification of the viral proteins which act as targets. The frequency of CTL, as measured by limiting dilution analysis in peripheral blood, is associated with protection against clinical disease including abortion. To identify the CTL target protein(s) and ultimately peptide(s) for inclusion in new generation vaccines, we focussed on the MHC class I A3 haplotype and in particular the B2 allele to demonstrate that the immediate early gene 64 of EHV-1 acts as a CTL target protein. This involved the cloning of both B2 and gene 64 into expression plasmids prior to their transfection into murine P815 cells by electroporation and selection with G418 and geneticin antibiotics. Having identified gene 64 as a CTL target protein, we then, in collaboration with colleagues at Merial SAS (Dr Julius Minke and Dr Jean-Christophe Audonnet), selected ponies which expressed the B2 allele prior to vaccination with a recombinant, highly attentuated Vaccinia virus which encoded gene 64. The results showed that such vaccination stimulated CTL as measured by chromium release assay. Ongoing studies are investigating the role of gene 64 in other MHC class I haplotypes and the identification of target peptides to construct tetramers for further evaluation of the cellular immune response ex vivo. Ultimately such CTL target proteins will be incorporated into experimental vaccines and tested for their efficacy which if successful, we hope will lead to the development of improved commercial vaccines.

Immunological Reagents: Progress in the characterisation of immune responses in veterinary species is reliant on the availability of reagents which

Research Summary

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). In recent years, my research has focussed on Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) which causes respiratory and neurological disease and late gestation abortion in horses. This… read more

Recent Publications

• KYDD, J.H., SLATER, J., OSTERRIEDER, N., LUNN, D.P. and ET. AL., 2012. Third International Havemeyer Workshop on Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) Equine veterinary Journal. (In Press.)
• TARLINTON, R., DALY, J., DUNHAM, S. and KYDD, J., 2012. The challenge of Schmallenberg virus emergence in Europe Veterinary Journal. (In Press.)
• KYDD, J H, SLATER, J, OSTERRIEDER, N, ANTCZAK, D F and LUNN, D P, 2010. Report of the Second Havemeyer EHV-1 Workshop, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA, September 2008. Equine veterinary journal. 42(6), 572-5
• SOBOLL, G, BREATHNACH, C C, KYDD, J H, HUSSEY, S B, MEALEY, R M and LUNN, D P, 2010. Vaccination of ponies with the IE gene of EHV-1 in a recombinant modified live vaccinia vector protects against clinical and virological disease. Veterinary immunology and immunopathology. 135(1-2), 108-17

• View all publications

Current Research

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). In recent years, my research has focussed on Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) which causes respiratory and neurological disease and late gestation abortion in horses. This virus is a particular problem within the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industries and the majority of funding has been generously provided by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, but EHV-1 can infect domestic and wild equids of any age or breed. Current vaccines are used extensively within the Thoroughbred and sports horse industries and these contain inactivated virus which stimulate high titres of virus neutralising antibody in the blood. This immune response is successful in reducing the amount and duration of virus which is shed from the nasopharynx. The major downfall of these vaccines is their failure to prevent the development of a cell associated viraemia, by which infectious virus is disseminated from the respiratory tract via the blood circulation to the endothelial cells of the pregnant endometrium and spinal cord. Collaborative research with colleagues at the Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Cornell University and Colorado State University has therefore focussed on cellular immune responses and how these are associated with protection. We have focussed on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and the identification of the viral proteins which act as targets. The frequency of CTL, as measured by limiting dilution analysis in peripheral blood, is associated with protection against clinical disease including abortion. To identify the CTL target protein(s) and ultimately peptide(s) for inclusion in new generation vaccines, we focussed on the MHC class I A3 haplotype and in particular the B2 allele to demonstrate that the immediate early gene 64 of EHV-1 acts as a CTL target protein. This involved the cloning of both B2 and gene 64 into expression plasmids prior to their transfection into murine P815 cells by electroporation and selection with G418 and geneticin antibiotics. Having identified gene 64 as a CTL target protein, we then vaccinated ponies, which expressed the B2 allele, with a recombinant, highly attentuated Vaccinia virus which encoded gene 64 to show that such vaccination stimulated CTL as measured by chromium release assay. Ongoing studies are investigating the role of gene 64 in other MHC class I haplotypes and the identification of target peptides to construct tetramers for further evaluation of the cellular immune response ex vivo. Ultimately such CTL target proteins will be incorporated into experimental vaccines and tested for their efficacy, prior to commercial application.

Immunological Reagents. Progress in the characterisation of immune responses in veterinary species is reliant on the availability of reagents which identify cells and molecules involved in the immune response. To address the deficiency in reagents and in parallel with other veterinary species, the Equine Leucocyte Antigen Workshops (ELAW) were held in the 1990s to characterise and compare monoclonal antibodies against equine leucocyte antigens and immunoglobulins. These workshops were superceded by larger, government funded initiatives both in the United Kingdom and United States of America called respectively the Immunological Toolbox http://www.immunologicaltoolbox.co.uk and the US Veterinary Immune Reagent Network http://www.umass.edu/vetimm/ The Immunological Toolbox funding has now come to an end, but the web sites continue to provide

Past Research

Equine herpesvirus-1 has been the focus of my research for many years but in the past, discrete projects have centred on the cellular immune response to equine influenza virus, the immune response to pregnancy, immunosenescence and lymphoid leukaemias in horses.

• KYDD, J.H., SLATER, J., OSTERRIEDER, N., LUNN, D.P. and ET. AL., 2012. Third International Havemeyer Workshop on Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) Equine veterinary Journal. (In Press.)
• TARLINTON, R., DALY, J., DUNHAM, S. and KYDD, J., 2012. The challenge of Schmallenberg virus emergence in Europe Veterinary Journal. (In Press.)
• KYDD, J H, SLATER, J, OSTERRIEDER, N, ANTCZAK, D F and LUNN, D P, 2010. Report of the Second Havemeyer EHV-1 Workshop, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA, September 2008. Equine veterinary journal. 42(6), 572-5
• SOBOLL, G, BREATHNACH, C C, KYDD, J H, HUSSEY, S B, MEALEY, R M and LUNN, D P, 2010. Vaccination of ponies with the IE gene of EHV-1 in a recombinant modified live vaccinia vector protects against clinical and virological disease. Veterinary immunology and immunopathology. 135(1-2), 108-17
• FOSTER, N., GARDNER, D., KYDD, JH, ROBINSON, R. and ROSHIER, M., 2010. Assessing the influence of gender, learning style and pre-entry experience on student response to delivery of a novel veterinary curriculum Journal of Veterinary Medical Education. 37(3), 266-275
• PAILLOT, R., DALY, J.M., LUCE, R., MONTESSO, F., DAVIS-POYNTER, N., HANNANT, D. and KYDD, J.H., 2007. Frequency and phenotype of EHV-1 specific, IFN-γ synthesising lymphocytes in ponies: the effects of age, pregnancy and infection Developmental and Comparative Immunology. 31(2), 202-214
• GOODMAN, LAURA B, LOREGIAN, ARIANNA, PERKINS, GILLIAN A, NUGENT, JOSIE, BUCKLES, ELIZABETH L, MERCORELLI, BEATRICE, KYDD, JULIA H, PALÙ, GIORGIO, SMITH, KEN C, OSTERRIEDER, NIKOLAUS and DAVIS-POYNTE, 2007. A point mutation in a herpesvirus polymerase determines neuropathogenicity. PLoS pathogens. 3(11), e160
• IBRAHIM, SHERIF, SAUNDERS, KELLY, KYDD, JULIA H, LUNN, D PAUL and STEINBACH, FALKO, 2007. Screening of anti-human leukocyte monoclonal antibodies for reactivity with equine leukocytes. Veterinary immunology and immunopathology. 119(1-2), 63-80
• STEINBACH, FALKO, SAUNDERS, KELLY, KYDD, JULIA H and IBRAHIM, SHERIF, 2007. Further characterization of cross-reactive anti-human leukocyte mAbs by use of equine leukocyte cell lines EqT8888 and eCAS. Veterinary immunology and immunopathology. 119(1-2), 100-5
• LUCE, R, SHEPHERD, M, PAILLOT, R, BLACKLAWS, B, WOOD, J.L.N and KYDD, J.H., 2007. Equine herpesvirus-1 specific, interferon gamma (IFNg) synthesis by T cells in Thoroughbred horses. Equine Veterinary Journal. 39, 202-209
• PAILLOT R, KYDD JH, MACRAE S, MINKE JM, HANNANT D, DALY JM, 2007. New assays to measure equine influenza virus-specific Type 1 immunity in horses. Vaccine. 25(42), 7385-98
• KYDD, J.H., DAVIS-POYNTER, N.J., BIRCH, J., HANNANT, D., MINKE, J., AUDONNET, J.-C., ANTCZAK, D.F. and ELLIS, S A., 2006. A molecular approach to the identification of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes within equine herpesvirus 1 Journal of General Virology. 87(9), 2507-2515
• PAILLOT, R., ELLIS, S.A., DALY, J.M., AUDONNET, J.C., MINKE, J. M., DAVIS-POYNTER, N., HANNANT, D. and KYDD, J.H., 2006. Characterisation of CTL and IFN-g synthesis in ponies following vaccination with a NYVAC-based construct coding for EHV-1 immediate early gene, followed by challenge infection Vaccine. VOL 24(NUMBER 10), 1490-1500
• KYDD, J. H., TOWNSEND, H. G. and HANNANT, D., 2006. The equine immune response to equine herpesvirus-1: The virus and its vaccines Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. VOL 111(NUMBER 1-2), 15-30
• PAILLOT, R., KYDD, J. H., SINDLE, T., HANNANT, D., EDLUND TOULEMONDE, C., AUDONNET, J. C., MINKE, J. M. and DALY, J. M., 2006. Antibody and IFN-g responses induced by a recombinant canarypox vaccine and challenge infection with equine influenza virus Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. VOL 112(NUMBER 3-4), 225-233
• PAILLOT, R., HANNANT, D., KYDD, J. H. and DALY, J. M., 2006. Vaccination against equine influenza: Quid novi? Vaccine. VOL 24(NUMBER 19), 4047-4061
• KYDD, JULIA H and SMITH, K C, 2006. Equine herpesvirus neurologic disease: reflections from across the pond. Journal of veterinary internal medicine / American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 20(3), 467-8
• CHIAM, R, SMID, L, KYDD, J H, SMITH, K C, PLATT, A and DAVIS-POYNTER, N J, 2006. Use of polarised equine endothelial cell cultures and an in vitro thrombosis model for potential characterisation of EHV-1 strain variation. Veterinary Microbiology. 113(3-4), 243-9
• SLATER, J D, LUNN, D P, HOROHOV, D W, ANTCZAK, D F, BABIUK, L, BREATHNACH, C, CHANG, Y-W, DAVIS-POYNTER, N, EDINGTON, N, ELLIS, S, FOOTE, C, GOEHRING, L, KOHN, C W, KYDD, J, MATSUMURA, T, MINKE, J and MO, 2006. Report of the equine herpesvirus-1 Havermeyer Workshop, San Gimignano, Tuscany, June 2004. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 111(1-2), 3-13
• PAILLOT, R., DALY, J.M., JUILLARD, V., MINKE, J.M., HANNANT, D. and KYDD, J.H., 2005. Equine interferon gamma synthesis in lymphocytes after in vivo infection and in vitro stimulation with EHV-1 Vaccine. 23(36), 4541-4551
• CASTILLO-OLIVARES, J., TEARLE, J.P., MONTESSO, F., WESTCOTT, D., KYDD, J.H., DAVIS-POYNTER, N.J. and HANNANT, D., 2003. Detection of equine arteritis virus (EAV)-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T-lymphocyte precursors from EAV-infected ponies Journal of General Virology. 84(10), 2745-2753
• KYDD, J.H., WATTRANG, E. and HANNANT, D., 2003. Pre-infection frequencies of equine herpesvirus-1 specific, cytotoxic T lymphocytes correlate with protection against abortion following experimental infection of pregnant mares Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 96(3-4), 207-217
• HOROHOV, D. W., KYDD, J. H. and HANNANT, D., 2002. The effect of aging on T cell responses in the horse Developmental and Comparative Immunology. VOL 26(NUMBER 1), 121-128
• HELDENS, J. G., HANNANT, D., CULLINANE, A. A., PRENDERGAST, M. J., MUMFORD, J. A., NELLY, M., KYDD, J. H., WESTSTRATE, M. W. and VAN DEN HOVEN, R., 2001. Clinical and virological evaluation of the efficacy of an inactivated EHV1 and EHV4 whole virus vaccine (Duvaxyn EHV1,4). Vaccination/challenge experiments in foals and pregnant mares Vaccine. VOL 19(NUMBER 30), 4307 - 4317
• HANNANT, D., O'NEILL, T., OSTLUND, E. N., KYDD, J. H., HOPKIN, P. J. and MUMFORD, J. A., 1999. Equid Herpesvirus Induced Immunosuppression is Associated with Lymphoid Cells and Not Soluble Circulating Factors VIRAL IMMUNOLOGY. VOL 12(PART 4), 313-322
• O'NEILL, T., KYDD, J.H., ALLEN, G.P., WATTRANG, E., MUMFORD, J.A. and HANNANT, D., 1999. Determination of equid herpesvirus 1-specific, CD8^+, cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor frequencies in ponies Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. VOL 70(NUMBER 1-2), 43-54
• KYDD, J. H., ALLEN, G. P., O NEILL, T., WATTRANG, E. and HANNANT, D., 1998. EHV-1-specific, cytotoxic lymphocyte precursor frequencies following intranasal infection of ponies EQUINE INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 8TH, 412
• KYDD, J. H., HANNANT, D. and MUMFORD, J. A., 1996. Residence and recruitment of leucocytes to the equine lung after EHV-1 infection Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. VOL 52(NUMBER 1/2), 15-26
• FOSTER N, GARDNER D, KYDD J, ROBINSON R and ROSHIER M, 1. Assessing The Influence Of Gender, Learning Style, And Pre-Entry Experience On Student Response To Delivery Of A Novel Veterinary Curriculum. Journal Of Veterinary Medical Education. 37(3), 266-75
• RENDLE, D.I, DURHAM, A.E, THOMPSON, J.C, HILL, F, ARCHER, J, MITCHELL, M, SAUNDERS, K, MILLER, J, PAILLOT, R, SMITH, K.C and KYDD, J.H., Clinical, phenotypic and functional characterisation of T-cell leukaemia in six horses Equine Veterinary Journal. (In Press.)