Dependence of the Antibody Response of Young Sheep on the Method of Immunization with Recombinant Myostatin

Despite the success in creating genetically modified animals with improved economic characteristics, immunological biotechnologies represent an alternative, more conventional and safer, approach to increasing the meat productivity of farm animals. For example, animals with a knockout of the MSTN gene have not only overly developed muscles, but also serious health and reproduction problems. Blocking the action of endogenous myostatin by immune methods in the phase of intensive animal growth may become a hightech and safe method for effective animal husbandry. Currently, purified recombinant proteins and peptides with a low intrinsic immunogenicity are increasingly used as antigens for immunization. The effectiveness of the created vaccines depends not only on the antigen used, but also on the methods of its administration, adjuvants, and the type of animals, being determined, as a rule, empirically. We obtained a recombinant myostatin (rMST) producing strain; the protein was used as an antigen in a composition with various adjuvants to determine its immunogenicity. The obtained rMST, along with aluminum hydroxide gel as an adjuvant, was used as a vaccine to immunize four-month-old lambs. It was shown that a single subcutaneous multipoint immunization at a dosage of 1 mg rMST per head led to a noticeable immune response and an increase in body weight.