Previous Article | Next Article 
Infection and Immunity, March 2004, p. 1409-1422, Vol. 72, No. 3
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.3.1409-1422.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Cytokine Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Tissues of Cattle Infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis: Evidence for an Inherent Proinflammatory Gene Expression Pattern
Paul M. Coussens,* Nitin Verman, Marc A. Coussens, Michael D. Elftman, and Amanda M. McNulty
Department of Animal Science and Center for Animal Functional Genomics, Michigan State University, East Lansing Michigan 48824
Received 25 August 2003/
Returned for modification 12 November 2003/
Accepted 20 November 2003
In cattle and other ruminants, infection with the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis results in a granulomatous enteritis (Johne's disease) that is often fatal. The key features of host immunity to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection include an appropriate early proinflammatory and cytotoxic response (Th1-like) that eventually gives way to a predominant antibody-based response (Th2-like). Clinical disease symptoms often appear subsequent to waning of the Th1-like immune response. Understanding why this shift in the immune response occurs and the underlying molecular mechanisms involved is critical to future control measures and diagnosis. Previous studies have suggested that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis may suppress gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from infected cows, despite a continued inflammatory reaction at sites of infection. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis suppresses a proinflammatory gene expression pattern in PBMCs from infected cows. To do this, we examined expression of genes encoding interleukin-1
(IL-1
), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p35, IL-16, and IL-18, as well as genes encoding gamma interferon (IFN-
), transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
), in PBMCs, intestinal lesions, and mesenteric lymph nodes of cattle naturally infected with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Cytokine gene expression in these cells and tissues was compared to expression in similar cells and tissues from control uninfected cattle. Our comprehensive results demonstrate that for most cytokine genes, including the genes encoding IFN-
, TGF-ß, TNF-
, IL-1
, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-12p35, differential expression in PBMCs from infected and control cattle did not require stimulation with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. In fact, stimulation with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis tended to reduce the differential expression observed in infected and uninfected cows for genes encoding IFN-
, IL-1
, and IL-6. Only IL-10 gene expression was consistently enhanced by M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis stimulation of PBMCs from subclinically infected cattle. In ileal tissues from M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-infected cattle, expression of the genes encoding IFN-
, TGF-ß, IL-5, and IL-8 was greater than the expression in comparable tissues from control uninfected cattle, while expression of the gene encoding IL-16 was lower in tissues from infected cattle than in control tissues. Mesenteric lymph nodes draining sites of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection expressed higher levels of IL-1
, IL-8, IL-2, and IL-10 mRNA than similar tissues from control uninfected cattle expressed. In contrast, the genes encoding TGF-ß and IL-16 were expressed at lower levels in lymph nodes from infected cattle than in tissues from uninfected cattle. Taken together, our results suggest that cells or other mechanisms capable of limiting proinflammatory responses to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis develop in infected cattle and that a likely place for development and expansion of these cell populations is the mesenteric lymph nodes draining sites of infection.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Animal Science, 1205H Anthony Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. Phone: (517) 353-3158. Fax: (517) 353-1699. E-mail:
coussens{at}msu.edu.
Editor: B. B. Finlay
Infection and Immunity, March 2004, p. 1409-1422, Vol. 72, No. 3
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.3.1409-1422.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Laspiur, J. P., Burton, J. L., Weber, P. S. D., Moore, J., Kirkwood, R. N., Trottier, N. L.
(2009). Dietary Protein Intake and Stage of Lactation Differentially Modulate Amino Acid Transporter mRNA Abundance in Porcine Mammary Tissue. J. Nutr.
139: 1677-1684
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Piper, E. K., Jonsson, N. N., Gondro, C., Lew-Tabor, A. E., Moolhuijzen, P., Vance, M. E., Jackson, L. A.
(2009). Immunological Profiles of Bos taurus and Bos indicus Cattle Infested with the Cattle Tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. CVI
16: 1074-1086
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Worku, M., Morris, A.
(2009). Binding of different forms of lipopolysaccharide and gene expression in bovine blood neutrophils. J DAIRY SCI
92: 3185-3193
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Khare, S., Nunes, J. S., Figueiredo, J. F., Lawhon, S. D., Rossetti, C. A., Gull, T., Rice-Ficht, A. C., Adams, L. G.
(2009). Early Phase Morphological Lesions and Transcriptional Responses of Bovine Ileum Infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Vet Pathol
46: 717-728
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Karcher, E. L., Bayles, D. O., Bannantine, J. P., Beitz, D. C., Stabel, J. R.
(2008). Osteopontin: A Novel Cytokine Involved in the Regulation of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis Infection in Periparturient Dairy Cattle. J DAIRY SCI
91: 3079-3091
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Robinson, M., O'Brien, R., Mackintosh, C., Griffin, F.
(2008). Differential Immune Responses of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) following Experimental Challenge with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. CVI
15: 963-969
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Scanu, A. M., Bull, T. J., Cannas, S., Sanderson, J. D., Sechi, L. A., Dettori, G., Zanetti, S., Hermon-Taylor, J.
(2007). Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Infection in Cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Comparison with Crohn's Disease and Johne's Disease: Common Neural and Immune Pathogenicities. J. Clin. Microbiol.
45: 3883-3890
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Wu, C.-w., Livesey, M., Schmoller, S. K., Manning, E. J. B., Steinberg, H., Davis, W. C., Hamilton, M. J., Talaat, A. M.
(2007). Invasion and Persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis during Early Stages of Johne's Disease in Calves. Infect. Immun.
75: 2110-2119
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Murphy, J. T., Sommer, S., Kabara, E. A., Verman, N., Kuelbs, M. A., Saama, P., Halgren, R., Coussens, P. M.
(2006). Gene expression profiling of monocyte-derived macrophages following infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. Physiol. Genomics
28: 67-75
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Motiwala, A. S., Janagama, H. K., Paustian, M. L., Zhu, X., Bannantine, J. P., Kapur, V., Sreevatsan, S.
(2006). Comparative Transcriptional Analysis of Human Macrophages Exposed to Animal and Human Isolates of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis with Diverse Genotypes.. Infect. Immun.
74: 6046-6056
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Ruby, T., Whittaker, C., Withers, D. R., Chelbi-Alix, M. K., Morin, V., Oudin, A., Young, J. R., Zoorob, R.
(2006). Transcriptional profiling reveals a possible role for the timing of the inflammatory response in determining susceptibility to a viral infection.. J. Virol.
80: 9207-9216
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Thacker, T. C., Palmer, M. V., Waters, W. R.
(2006). Correlation of Cytokine Gene Expression with Pathology in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Infected with Mycobacterium bovis. CVI
13: 640-647
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Coussens, P. M.
(2004). Model for Immune Responses to Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis in Cattle. Infect. Immun.
72: 3089-3096
[Full Text]