Effects of Mycobacterium bovis on monocyte-derived macrophages from bovine tuberculosis infection and healthy cattle

Abstract

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium bovis and poses a long-standing threat to livestock worldwide. To further elucidate the poorly defined BTB immune response in cattle, we utilized monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) to assess the gene expression related to M. bovis Beijing strain stimulation. Here, we demonstrate the existence of distinctive gene expression patterns between macrophages of healthy cattle and those exposed to BTB. In comparing MDMs cells from healthy cattle (n=5) and cattle with tuberculosis (n=5) 3h after M. bovis stimulation, the differential expressions of seven genes (IL1β, IL1R1, IL1A, TNF-α, IL10, TLR2 and TLR4) implicated in M. bovis response were examined. The expressions of these seven genes were increased in both the tuberculosis-infected and the healthy cattle to M. bovis stimulation, and two of them (TLR2 and IL10) were significantly different in the tuberculosis and the healthy control groups (P≤0.05). The increase in the expression of the TLR2 gene is more significant in healthy cattle response to stimulation, and the change of IL10 gene expression is more significant in tuberculosis cattle. Additionally, we investigated the cytopathic effect caused by M. bovis stimulation and the relationship between M. bovis and MDMs cells to obtain a general profile of pathogen-host interaction. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.