Gene Expression Changes in Cattle Infected with Mycobacterium bovis
Author Information
Author(s): Kieran G Meade, Eamonn Gormley, Cliona O'Farrelly, Stephen D Park, Eamon Costello, Joseph Keane, Yingdong Zhao, David E MacHugh
Primary Institution: Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin
Hypothesis
The PBMC from BTB-infected cattle would display a distinct gene expression program resulting from exposure to M. bovis.
Conclusion
The PBMC from BTB-infected animals exhibit different transcriptional profiles compared with PBMC from healthy control animals in response to M. bovis antigen stimulation.
Supporting Evidence
- 250 gene spot features were significantly differentially expressed in BTB-infected animals at 3 h post-stimulation.
- Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR demonstrated that many innate immune genes were differentially expressed in BTB-infected versus control animals after stimulation.
- A common panel of eighteen genes was significantly expressed in opposite directions in both groups.
Takeaway
Infected cattle show different gene activity when exposed to a specific bacteria compared to healthy cattle, which helps us understand how the disease affects their immune response.
Methodology
A functional genomics approach was used to examine the immune response of BTB-infected and healthy control cattle to stimulation with bovine tuberculin in vitro.
Potential Biases
Differences in cell subpopulations between animals and the separation of PBMC from an in vivo immunosuppressive environment may have affected some gene expression patterns.
Limitations
The control and infected cattle were sampled from different herds, which may represent a confounding factor in the analysis of gene expression differences.
Participant Demographics
Eight BTB-infected cattle and eight healthy control cattle were used in the study.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0009
Statistical Significance
p ≤ 0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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