Cloning a new allele form of bovine TNF-alpha.

: Although little is known on the function of gammadelta T lymphocytes, there is increasing evidence that gammadelta T lymphocytes are early responders and modulators of immune responses against pathogens and cytokines such as IL-2, IL-7, IL-15 and TNF-a. To study the role TNF-a on gammadelta T lymphocytes, we cloned bovine TNF-a. Sequence analysis revealed that a new allele form of bovine TNF-a was cloned which has 3 additional nucleotide sequences as well as 3 nucleotide substitutions compared with previously reported bovine TNF-a. Further studies are needed to document the functional significance of a new allele form of TNF-a in cattle.