Project description:Mastitis remains one of the most prevalent and costly diseases impacting the dairy industry worldwide. Escherichia coli is an environmental bacterium that frequently causes intramammary infections, the outcome of which depends on the capacity of the host to recognize and clear the bacterial pathogen. E. coli intramammary infection elicits localized and systemic responses, some of which have been characterized in mammary secretory tissue. However, nothing is known about early transcriptome-wide responses to infection that occur within regions of the teat and mammary parenchyma. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to use microarray analysis to characterize gene expression patterns and process networks that become activated in different regions of the mammary gland during the acute phase of experimentally induced intramammary infection with E. coli. Tissues evaluated were from Furstenberg’s rosette, teat cistern, gland cistern, and lobulo-alveolar regions of control and infected mammary glands, 12 and 24 h after bacterial (or control) infusions. For selected genes, quantitative RT-PCR was performed to confirm the microarray findings (Toll-like receptors; TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR6) and evaluate the correspondence between mRNA level in tissues and protein level in milk (interleukin 8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, haptoglobin, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein). The main networks activated by E. coli infection pertained to immune and inflammatory response, with marked induction of genes encoding proteins that function in chemotaxis, leukocyte activation and signaling. Genomic response was greatest in tissues of the teat and gland cisterns at 12 h post-infection, while tissue of the lobulo-alveolar region responded only, and most strongly of the regions, 24 h following the infection. Up regulation of TLR2, TLR4, IL8, TNF-alpha and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein peaked at 12 h post infection in tissues of the teat and in the gland cistern, while the highest level of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein was reached at 24 h in the lobular alveoli region of infected quarters. Very few genes were down–regulated within the timeframe of this study. Similar genetic networks were impacted in all regions during early phases of E. coli intramammary infection, although regional differences throughout the gland were noted. Importantly, the tissues of the teat, which are first to encounter invading bacteria during a natural infection, responded rapidly and intensely, suggesting an important sentinel function for this region. Both resident mammary cells and infiltrating immune cells likely play an important role in recognition of pathogens and production of inflammatory mediators during mastitis.

Project description:Mastitis remains one of the most prevalent and costly diseases impacting the dairy industry worldwide. Escherichia coli is an environmental bacterium that frequently causes intramammary infections, the outcome of which depends on the capacity of the host to recognize and clear the bacterial pathogen. E. coli intramammary infection elicits localized and systemic responses, some of which have been characterized in mammary secretory tissue. However, nothing is known about early transcriptome-wide responses to infection that occur within regions of the teat and mammary parenchyma. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to use microarray analysis to characterize gene expression patterns and process networks that become activated in different regions of the mammary gland during the acute phase of experimentally induced intramammary infection with E. coli. Tissues evaluated were from Furstenberg’s rosette, teat cistern, gland cistern, and lobulo-alveolar regions of control and infected mammary glands, 12 and 24 h after bacterial (or control) infusions. For selected genes, quantitative RT-PCR was performed to confirm the microarray findings (Toll-like receptors; TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR6) and evaluate the correspondence between mRNA level in tissues and protein level in milk (interleukin 8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, haptoglobin, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein). The main networks activated by E. coli infection pertained to immune and inflammatory response, with marked induction of genes encoding proteins that function in chemotaxis, leukocyte activation and signaling. Genomic response was greatest in tissues of the teat and gland cisterns at 12 h post-infection, while tissue of the lobulo-alveolar region responded only, and most strongly of the regions, 24 h following the infection. Up regulation of TLR2, TLR4, IL8, TNF-alpha and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein peaked at 12 h post infection in tissues of the teat and in the gland cistern, while the highest level of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein was reached at 24 h in the lobular alveoli region of infected quarters. Very few genes were down–regulated within the timeframe of this study. Similar genetic networks were impacted in all regions during early phases of E. coli intramammary infection, although regional differences throughout the gland were noted. Importantly, the tissues of the teat, which are first to encounter invading bacteria during a natural infection, responded rapidly and intensely, suggesting an important sentinel function for this region. Both resident mammary cells and infiltrating immune cells likely play an important role in recognition of pathogens and production of inflammatory mediators during mastitis. Three healthy lactating Holstein cows were used in this study. All mammary glands were bacteria-free. Immediately following the morning milking, 4 mL of E. coli suspension (100 colony forming units/mL) were infused into one mammary gland of the udder and the contralateral gland was infused with PBS (control gland). After the PM milking 12 h later, the remaining ipsilateral quarter was infused with E. coli. Cows were euthanized 24 h after initial infusions and tissues were collected from 4 regions of each mammary gland: Furstenburg’s rosette, teat cistern, gland cistern and lobuloalveolar regions. Tissues were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen, stored at -80C until processing.

Project description:The study investigated the acute and simultaneous response of the mammary and liver transcriptome to an intra-mammary lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge in early-lactating cows, and its consequences on metabolic biomarkers and liver composition. At 7 days of lactation, 7 cows served as controls (CTR) and 7 cows (LPS) received an intra-mammary E. coli LPS challenge. The mammary and liver tissues were sampled at 2.5 h from challenge for transcriptomic profiling. Liver composition was evaluated at 2.5 h and 7 d after challenge and blood biomarkers were analized at -2, 3, 7 and 14 d from challenge. In mammary tissue, the LPS challenge resulted in 189 differentially expressed gene (DEG), with 20 downregulated and 169 upregulated, while in the liver were found 107 DEG with 42 downregulated and 65 upregulated in LPS vs CTR. In the udder, the Dynamic Impact Approach (DIA) highlighted the activation of NOD-like receptor signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling, RIG-I-like receptor signaling and Apoptosis pathways, while in the liver were inhibited the Fatty acid elongation in mitochondria and activated the p53 signaling pathway. The LPS induced the alteration of liver lipid metabolism (rise of total lipid and triglyceride concentration), a systemic inflammation (rise of blood ceruloplasmin and bilirubin) and an increase of body fat mobilization. In cows subjected to intra-mammary LPS, the mammary gland responds activating mechanisms of pathogen recognition. In the liver the response likely depends by mediators coming from udder and affects the liver functionality and mainly the fatty acid metabolism. Fourteen Holstein cows entering their second or greater lactation were used. Cows were housed in a ventilated tie-stall barn and were fed a common lactation diet (Net energy of lactation = 1.69 Mcal/kg DM) as a total mixed ration once daily (0600 h) and milked twice daily (0400 and 1600 h). A bovine oligonucleotide (70-mers) microarray with >13,000 annotated sequences developed at the University of Illinois, was used for transcript profiling. Details on the development, annotation, and use of this microarray have been reported previously by Loor et al., 2007 (http://physiolgenomics.physiology.org/content/32/1/105.abstract). Methods for microarray hybridization and scanning were as reported by Loor et al. (2007). Briefly, slides were hydrated, dried, and placed in a UV Stratalinker 1800 (Stratagene, La Joya, CA) for ~5 min. Slides were washed with 0.2% SDS solution, rinsed with MilliQ (Millipore) H2O, and placed in warm prehybridization soln for 45 min at 42 C. The same amount of Cy3- or Cy5-labelled cDNA from mammary or liver and a reference standard RNA pool (made of different bovine tissues) were co-hybridized using a dye-swap design (i.e., two microarrays per sample). Slides were incubated for 48 h at 45 C prior to scanning. Criteria for evaluation of slide quality included: identification of number of spots with a minimum median signal intensity of 3 SD above background; keeping slides with a minimum of 20,000 spots with minimum median signal intensity of 3 SD above background in both Cy3 and Cy5 channels; and keeping slides with a minimum mean intensity of 400 relative fluorescent units in both Cy3 and Cy5 channels across the entire slide. Data from a total of 112 microarrays were normalized for dye and microarray effects (i.e., Lowess normalization and microarray centering) and used for statistical analysis. Data were analyzed using the Proc MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS, SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC). Fixed effects were treatment (LPS challenge, control (no infsuion)) and dye. Random effects included cow and microarray. Raw P values were adjusted using Benjamini and HochbergM-bM-^@M-^Ys false discovery rate (FDR). Differences in relative expression due to treatment were considered significant at an FDR-adjusted P < 0.05. For a more stringent characterization between the two treatments, a 1.5-fold difference in mRNA expression was set as threshold among differentially expressed genes.

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Gene expression profiling of liver from dairy cows subjected to intra-mammary LPS treatment: time course

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