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Production and release of antimicrobial and immune defense proteins by mammary epithelial cells following Streptococcus uberis infection of sheep.
- Source :
-
Infection and immunity [Infect Immun] 2013 Sep; Vol. 81 (9), pp. 3182-97. Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 Jun 17. - Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Investigating the innate immune response mediators released in milk has manifold implications, spanning from elucidation of the role played by mammary epithelial cells (MECs) in fighting microbial infections to the discovery of novel diagnostic markers for monitoring udder health in dairy animals. Here, we investigated the mammary gland response following a two-step experimental infection of lactating sheep with the mastitis-associated bacterium Streptococcus uberis. The establishment of infection was confirmed both clinically and by molecular methods, including PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization of mammary tissues. Proteomic investigation of the milk fat globule (MFG), a complex vesicle released by lactating MECs, enabled detection of enrichment of several proteins involved in inflammation, chemotaxis of immune cells, and antimicrobial defense, including cathelicidins and calprotectin (S100A8/S100A9), in infected animals, suggesting the consistent involvement of MECs in the innate immune response to pathogens. The ability of MECs to produce and release antimicrobial and immune defense proteins was then demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and confocal immunomicroscopy of cathelicidin and the calprotectin subunit S100A9 on mammary tissues. The time course of their release in milk was also assessed by Western immunoblotting along the course of the experimental infection, revealing the rapid increase of these proteins in the MFG fraction in response to the presence of bacteria. Our results support an active role of MECs in the innate immune response of the mammary gland and provide new potential for the development of novel and more sensitive tools for monitoring mastitis in dairy animals.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Anti-Infective Agents metabolism
Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides immunology
Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides metabolism
Epithelial Cells microbiology
Glycolipids immunology
Glycolipids metabolism
Glycoproteins immunology
Glycoproteins metabolism
Lactation immunology
Lactation metabolism
Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex immunology
Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex metabolism
Lipid Droplets
Mammary Glands, Animal metabolism
Mammary Glands, Animal microbiology
Milk immunology
Milk metabolism
Milk microbiology
Proteomics methods
Sheep metabolism
Sheep microbiology
Streptococcal Infections prevention & control
Streptococcal Infections veterinary
Cathelicidins
Anti-Infective Agents immunology
Epithelial Cells immunology
Mammary Glands, Animal immunology
Sheep immunology
Streptococcal Infections immunology
Streptococcus immunology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1098-5522
- Volume :
- 81
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Infection and immunity
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 23774600
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00291-13