Bovine L-selectin: a peripheral lymphocyte homing receptor

Adaptive Cell-Mediated Immunity in the Mammary Gland of Dairy Ruminants

Mastitis is one of the greatest issues for the global dairy industry and controlling these infections by vaccination is a long-sought ambition that has remained unfulfilled so far. In fact, gaps in knowledge of cell-mediated immunity in the mammary gland (MG) have hampered progress in the rational design of immunization strategies targeting this organ, as current mastitis vaccines are unable to elicit a strong protective immunity. The objectives of this article are, from a comprehensive and critical review of available literature, to identify what characterizes adaptive immunity in the MG of ruminants, and to derive from this analysis research directions for the design of an optimal vaccination strategy. A peculiarity of the MG of ruminants is that it does not belong to the common mucosal immune system that links the gut immune system to the MG of rodents, swine or humans. Indeed, the MG of ruminants is not seeded by lymphocytes educated in mucosal epithelia of the digestive or respiratory tracts, because the mammary tissue does not express the vascular addressins and chemokines that would allow the homing of memory T cells. However, it is possible to elicit an adaptive immune response in the MG of ruminants by local immunization because the mammary tissue is provided with antigen-presenting cells and is linked to systemic mechanisms. The optimal immune response is obtained by luminal exposure to antigens in a non-lactating MG. The mammary gland can be sensitized to antigens so that a local recall elicits neutrophilic inflammation and enhanced defenses locally, resulting from the activation of resident memory lymphocytes producing IFN-γ and/or IL-17 in the mammary tissue. The rational exploitation of this immunity by vaccination will need a better understanding of MG cell-mediated immunity. The phenotypic and functional characterization of mammary antigen-presenting cells and memory T cells are amongst research priorities. Based on current knowledge, rekindling research on the immune cells that populate the healthy, infected, or immunized MG appears to be a most promising approach to designing efficacious mastitis vaccines.

The Mammary Gland in Mucosal and Regional Immunity

The mammary gland (MG) lacks a mucosa but is part of the mucosal immune system because of its role in passive mucosal immunity. The MG is not an inductive site for mucosal immunity. Rather, synthesis of immunoglobulin (Ig)A by plasma cells stimulated at distal inductive sites dominate in the milk of rodents, humans, and swine whereas IgG1 derived from serum predominates in ruminants. Despite the considerable biodiversity in the role of the MG, IgG passively transfers the maternal systemic immunological experience whereas IgA transfers the mucosal immunological experience. Although passive antibodies are protective, they and other lacteal constituents can be immunoregulatory. Immune protection of the MG largely depends on the innate immune system; the monocytes–macrophages group together with intraepithelial lymphocytes is dominant in the healthy gland. An increase in somatic cells (neutrophils) and various interleukins signal infection (mastitis) and a local immune response in the MG. The major role of the MG to mucosal immunity is the passive immunity supplied to the suckling neonate.

Vaccines against bovine mastitis in the New Zealand context: what is the best way forward?

Mastitis is an important animal health disease which constitutes a serious problem for the dairy industry in New Zealand. Mastitis reduces milk yield and quality, necessitates the use of antibiotic therapy, with associated risks of contaminating the raw milk supply, and imposes a serious economic burden, currently estimated at NZ$300 million per year. Mastitis is caused by a variety of infectious agents. In the New Zealand context, with cattle grazing on pasture, Streptococcus uberis is a major bacterial pathogen, responsible for a significant proportion of clinical cases, especially during early lactation and the dry period. Other pathogens of significance include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Escherichia coli, as well as so-called 'minor pathogens', namely coagulase-negative staphylococci(CNS). Current strategies aimed at reducing cases of mastitis include improved hygiene in the farm environment, particularly with regards to the health and cleanliness of teats. Once mastitis occurs, antibiotic therapy is a favoured option, and as a prophylactic tool, in the form of dry-cow therapy, has also shown value. Prevention of mastitis using immunological tools such as vaccines lags behind the major vaccine breakthroughs that have been achieved in preventing and/or reducing the severity of numerous infectious diseases in animals. In this review, the current state of research in the area of development of vaccines against mastitis is summarised, with particular emphasis on bacteria important to the dairy farming industry in New Zealand. Few, if any, effective vaccines have been designed to prevent or mitigate intramammary infections. It is argued that novel approaches must be considered to search for vaccine candidates, and vaccines need to be designed and constructed within the special framework of their uses, in the mammary gland which offers a unique immunological environment. In addition, effective vaccines against mastitis due to Strep. uberis may be more likely to emerge from strategies that target the cell-mediated arm of the immune response rather than strategies that target specific antibody responses.

Lymphocyte migration studies

For maintenance of immunity and tolerance, the organs and tissues of the organism are connected by migrating lymphoid cells. Understanding lymphocyte migration is essential for many disorders and diseases-- especially in the mucosa-lined organs. Detailed analyses of migrating lymphocytes have been performed in many species, especially in laboratory animals. However, important experiments in lymphocyte migration have been carried out in large animals, for example sheep, cattle and pigs. These species allow experimental procedures like in situ-organ labelling, lymphocyte retransfusion studies or lymph vessel cannulations. Such studies have made an important contribution to the understanding of the overall principles of lymphocyte migration especially in the mucosal immune system. Major results on the specific migration of naïve and memory T cells through lymphoid organs, the re-distribution of gamma/delta T cells in the intestinal immune system and the emigration of newly produced B cells from the ileal Peyer's patches have been obtained in large animals. Since there are growing numbers of markers for large animals, and molecular biology methods are available in these species, experiments in large animals will be an essential tool for the understanding of lymphocyte migration especially in mucosal organs.

Expression of lymphocyte homing and adhesion molecules during intramammary infection of cows with Serratiamarcescens or Streptococcusuberis: correlation with bacterial colonization and clinical signs

We wished to determine the expression of trafficking/adhesion molecules on the surface of lymphocytes isolated from infected mammary glands of cows challenged with either Serratia marcescens or Staphylococcus uberis. Healthy Holstein cows in mid lactation were infected by intramammary infusion with S. marcescens or S. uberis. Following infection, milk samples were collected at various time points. Body temperatures of the cows were taken, and milk was analyzed for colony forming units (CFU) of bacteria and somatic cell counts (SCC). Leukocytes were isolated from the milk and analyzed by flow cytometry. Percentages and types of lymphocytes were determined as well as expression of CD62L, CD11a, LPAM-1 and CD44 on these cells. We found that the percentage of lymphocytes expressing either CD62L or CD11a showed a marked increase 12 h post infection (PI) with S. marcescens that was not seen in cows infected with S. uberis. Conversely, the percentage of lymphocytes expressing CD44 increased in cows infected with S. uberis at 12 h PI, but the increase was not seen in cows infected with S. marcescens. Expression of LPAM-1 was low at all time points in both groups of cows. Body temperatures became elevated in both groups of cows, peaking at 24 h PI in S. marcescens-infected cows and dropping thereafter. In contrast, temperatures of S. uberis-infected cows continued to rise and were still elevated 96 h PI. CFU of bacteria isolated from mammary glands of S. marcescens-infected cows dropped precipitously 24 h PI but continued at high levels in S. uberis-infected cows. SCC began falling in S. marcescens-infected cows 48 h PI but continued to increase in S. uberis-infected cows. Thus, a greater percentage of lymphocytes in milk had a phenotype consistent with recruitment from the peripheral pool following infection with S. marcescens than was seen following infection with S. uberis. Concurrent with the increases seen in percentages of this lymphocyte phenotype, clinical signs lessened in the S. marcescens-infected cows.

Lymphocyte subsets and adhesion molecule expression in milk and blood of periparturient dairy cattle

Fifteen Holstein dairy cattle were monitored for lymphocyte subsets and expression of adhesion molecules on cells in milk and blood at parturition and at intervals up to 21 days post-partum. Using flow cytometry, we determined percentages of T cells (CD4+, CD8+, gammadelta) and B cells from milk and blood of these cows. We also measured expression of adhesion molecules (CD62L, LFA-1, LPAM-1, and CD44) on lymphocytes in milk and blood. Significantly higher percentages of CD8+ cells were found in milk than in blood at all time points while significantly higher percentages of B cells were found in blood than in milk at all time points. There were minimal to no significant differences in percentages of CD4+ or gammadelta+ cells between milk and blood. Expression of adhesion molecules was consistently higher on all subsets of milk lymphocytes compared with blood lymphocytes. These differences were most pronounced and statistically significant at calving and in the first week following calving. CD62L, LPAM-1 and CD44 were expressed on a significantly higher percentage of lymphocytes in milk at calving than in milk at subsequent sampling times, while LFA-1 expression on lymphocytes in milk was significantly lower at calving than at subsequent times.

Mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced down-regulation of neutrophil L-selectin in cattle: evidence for effects at the gene-expression level and primarily on blood neutrophils

One anti-inflammatory action of glucocorticoids is down-regulation of surface L-selectin on circulating neutrophils. However, it is unclear if this is a result of release of affected bone marrow neutrophils or if the steroid has direct effects on L-selectin expression in existing blood neutrophils. We recently demonstrated that circulating neutrophils from cattle with high blood concentrations of endogenous glucocorticoid had reduced L-selectin mRNA, suggesting that the steroid interrupted L-selectin gene expression. In the current study, dexamethasone (DEX) was administered to cattle in vivo, and blood and bone marrow neutrophils were studied simultaneously within the animal to determine which pool of cells responds to glucocorticoids with inhibited L-selectin expression. Purified blood neutrophils were also treated with DEX +/- RU486 in vitro, and glucocorticoid effects on L-selectin expression were determined. Our results indicate that glucocorticoid-induced suppression of L-selectin, which accompanies neutrophilia, is likely mediated by direct effects of glucocorticoid receptor activation on intracellular reservoirs of L-selectin mRNA and protein in cattle, predominantly in blood neutrophils.

Regulation of adhesion molecules on circulating neutrophils during coliform mastitis and their possible immunomodulation with drugs

Fast neutrophil diapedesis has been demonstrated to be critical in coliform mastitis and is determining for the severity of infection. Leukocyte adhesion molecules play a pivotal role in neutrophil recruitment. Two families of cell surface proteins help to regulate the adherence of neutrophils to vascular endothelium: selectins and beta(2)-integrins. Both classes of leukocyte adhesion molecules are reviewed in the context of their dynamic expression around parturition and during acute coliform mastitis. Their potential modulation by commonly used drugs and the therapeutic implications during acute coliform mastitis are also discussed.

Pre-translational regulation of neutrophil L-selectin in glucocorticoid-challenged cattle

L-selectin (CD62L) gene expression in neutrophils is commonly referred to as "constitutive" because circulating neutrophils require a constant supply of this adhesion molecule for continuous trafficking into peripheral tissues. Under normal circumstances, marginating blood neutrophils and neutrophils that become activated for migration into infected tissues rapidly shed surface CD62L that is ligated to the vascular endothelium. However, this does not shut down CD62L gene expression because these cells continue to express surface CD62L. In contrast, glucocorticoid challenges resulting from stress and hormone injections result in gradual and chronic down-regulation of CD62L on the surface of blood neutrophils. Rather than being associated with migration, this type of CD62L down-regulation associates with pronounced neutrophilia and increased susceptibility to infections. Nothing is currently known about glucocorticoid regulation of CD62L expression in neutrophils. In other cell systems, however, this steroid hormone binds to cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptors (GR) that influence expression of glucocorticoid-responsive genes at multiple pre-translational levels. Thus, the hypothesis of the present study was that glucocorticoid challenge suppresses CD62L mRNA expression in blood neutrophils. Suppressed CD62L gene expression might help explain the chronic down-regulation of surface CD62L in neutrophils and accompanying neutrophilia. The main objectives of the study were to monitor neutrophil CD62L mRNA abundance before and during subtle and severe glucocorticoid challenges and to determine if CD62L mRNA expression correlates with degree of glucocorticoid challenge. Parturient dairy cows and dexamethasone-treated steers were used as models of subtle and severe (respectively) glucocorticoid challenges. Data presented from both models support the hypothesis and show for the first time that glucocorticoids regulate neutrophil CD62L at a pre-translational level. Results also showed that inhibited CD62L mRNA expression correlated precisely with down-regulated surface expression of CD62L on neutrophils and peak neutrophilia during severe glucocorticoid challenge. Therefore, results of this study indicate that bovine neutrophils are highly sensitive to the blood environment, displaying full capacity to alter CD62L gene expression and trafficking patterns in response to changing glucocorticoid levels. This may serve animals well when heightened inflammatory responses begin to lead to tissue damage, but may be detrimental to overall health if animals are exposed to opportunistic pathogens while stressed or undergoing glucocorticoid therapy. Although this study did not elucidate how glucocorticoids inhibit neutrophil CD62L mRNA expression, presented data implicate GR as possibly being involved because neutrophils from cattle in both models expressed GR mRNA. Further in vitro studies using purified populations of neutrophils will be required to determine if GR is directly involved in glucocorticoid regulation of CD62L gene expression and, if so, at what level.

Immunity in the mammary gland

The ruminant mammary gland is an extremely important economic organ in that it provides a major nutrition source for a significant portion of the world's human population. The ruminant mammary gland is also responsible for providing protective immunity to neonates and for defending itself from invading pathogens. A wide array of humoral and cellular immune mechanisms are present in the mammary gland and actively participate in providing immunity to newborns and the mammary gland per se. The acute inflammatory response is essential in determining the outcome of intramammary challenge, and factors affecting innate and adaptive immunity in the context of mammary health are reviewed in detail. The ruminant mammary gland is also unique in that lymphocyte trafficking, which is essential to adaptive immunity, is shared with the peripheral immune system rather than the common mucosal immune system.

Lymphocyte populations and adhesion molecule expression in bovine tonsils

Bovine tonsils are mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) located at the entry of the pharynx where both inhaled and ingested antigens can induce an immune response. This study was conducted to determine the lymphocyte populations and adhesion molecule expression in the palatine tonsil (PT) and pharyngeal tonsil (PhT) of adult cattle and compare them with typical MALT (discrete Peyer's patches, PP) and a peripheral lymph node (parotid lymph node, PLN). The distribution of various lymphocyte subsets was determined in situ by immunofluorescence, and their proportions were determined by multicolor flow cytometry. The tonsils were similar to PP in the proportions of B- and T-cells (25-32% T-cells, 39-45% B-cells), and T cell subpopulations (CD4, CD8, and gammadelta). The PP contained the highest proportion of memory T-helper cells with beta7 integrin (30.3%+/-5.4), the tonsils intermediate (PT: 19.8%+/-4.4 and PhT: 19.7%+/-4.9), and the PLN had the lowest proportion (15.4%+/-3.1). The opposite relationship was observed with CD62L on naïve T- helper cells as PP had the lowest proportion (14.2%+/-6.4), the tonsils intermediate (PT: 17.4%+/-2.5 and PhT: 24.3%+/-7.3), and the PLN the highest proportion (45.3%+/-6.5). MAdCAM-1 was highly expressed in the high endothelial venules (HEV) of PP, with variable and weak expression in the tonsils and PLN. PNAd, on the other hand, was highly expressed in HEV of tonsils and PLN, and weakly expressed in the PP. These results indicate that the bovine tonsils share characteristics with both PP and PLN. The alpha4beta7/MadCAM-land CD62L/PNAd interaction may be involved in lymphocyte migration to the tonsils, but it is likely that other adhesion molecules participate as well. Similarities between the human and bovine tonsils suggest that cattle may provide a good model to study the role of the tonsil in the respiratory immune response.

Expression of Recombinant bovine L-selectin in Escherichia coli and insect cells

Bovine L-selectin was expressed in bacteria using pGEX vector and in insect cells infected with recombinant baculovirus in order to obtain recombinant protein for preparation of specific antiserum and its functional studies. In bacterial expression, L-selectin fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase was detected in the insoluble fraction with the expected molecular weight of 60 kDa by SDS-PAGE and reacted with anti-bovine CD62L monoclonal antibody in immunoblot analysis. In insect cells infected with recombinant baculovirus, a band corresponding to L-selectin was not observed in SDS-PAGE with protein staining, but they apparently reacted with anti-bovine CD62L monoclonal antibody in immunoblot analysis. Furthermore, the indirect immunofluorescence test revealed that bovine L-selectin was efficiently expressed on the surface of Sf9 cells infected with recombinant baculovirus, and flow cytometric analysis showed that the percentage of CD62L positive cells in bovine PBMC was about 66% and that most Sf9 cells infected with recombinant baculovirus had specific immunofluorescence.

Associations between function and composition of blood mononuclear leukocyte populations from Holstein bulls treated with dexamethasone

To characterize further the effects of corticosteriod-induced stress on the immune system of dairy cattle, functional and phenotypic characteristics of populations of blood mononuclear leukocytes from control and treated (0.04 mg dexamethasone/kg per d for 3 consecutive d) Holstein bulls were evaluated concurrently. In vivo administration of dexamethasone caused a > or = 97% reduction in in vitro secretion of interferon-gamma by pokeweed mitogen-stimulated mononuclear leukocytes by d 2 after the first treatment. In vitro secretion of immunoglobulin M was reduced by > 50% on d 2 and 3 after the first treatment, but returned to normal concentrations sooner than did interferon-gamma secretion. Concurrent with changes in the secretion of these proteins were changes in the mean fluorescence intensities of major histocompatibility class I and II antigens and the WC1 antigen and in the proportion of B cells, CD3 T cells, gamma delta T cells, and cells in the leukocyte population expressing major histocompatibility class II antigens. Examination of the relationships between protein secretion in vitro and the composition of the blood mononuclear leukocyte population indicated that secretion was associated positively with the proportion of CD3 T cells (primarily the gamma delta T-cell subset) and the expression of major histocompatibility class I and II molecules and associated negatively with the proportion of cells expressing major histocompatibility class II antigens. Overall, these results suggest that corticosteroid-mediated stress in dairy cattle impairs secretion of proteins that are critical to normal cellular and humoral immune responses, an effect that is strongly linked with changes in the composition of the circulating mononuclear leukocyte population.

Ruminant cluster CD62L

Within the Third Workshop, four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were considered to belong to this cluster: IAH-CC32 (3W-360), BAQ92 (3W-485), Buf44 (3W-452) and IVA94 (3W-563). IAH-CC32 was the workshop control and has previously been identified as a CD62L-specific mAb (Howard, C.J., Sopp, P. and Parsons, K.R., 1992. L-selectin expression differentiates T cells isolated from different lymphoid tissues in cattle but does not correlate with memory. Immunol., 77:228-234) by showing that human L-selectin mAb LAM1.4 (Spertini, O., Kansas, G.S., Reimann, K.A., Mackay, C.R. and Tedder, T.F., 1991. Functional and evolutional characteristics of distinct epitopes on the leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (TQ-1, Leu-8) that regulate leukocyte migration. J. Immunol., 147:942) cross-reacts with bovine cells and blocks binding of IAH-CC32. The mAb DREG-56 to human CD62L (Bosworth, 1993. Bovine L-selectin: a peripheral lymphocyte homing receptor. Vet., Immunol., Immunopathol, 37:201-215) also stains cattle cells. Buf44 blocked binding of IVA94 and IAH-CC32, indicating that all three bind to the same or closely related epitope on the L-selectin molecule (Naessens, 1996. Biochemical analysis of preliminary clusters in the non-lineage panel. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol., 52: 347-356).

Characterization of bovine pulmonary and serum antibody responses after parenteral or intrapulmonary vaccination with live Pasteurella haemolytica

Pulmonary and serum antibody responses were evaluated in eight calves vaccinated [four intrapulmonary-right diaphragmatic lobe (IP) and four subcutaneous (SC)] with Pasteurella haemolytica A1 (Ph-1) impregnated agar beads and eight respective sham-vaccinated calves. Experimental and sham groups were challenged in both diaphragmatic lobes with Ph-1 34-37 d after vaccination (DAV) and necropsied 6 d after challenge (DAC; 40-43 DAV). IgG antibodies contained in fluids from the diaphragmatic lobes of vaccinated calves had different patterns of antigen specificity compared with IgG antibodies in analogous sera. Using ELISA, anti-Ph-1 IgA and IgG antibody concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in lung lavage fluids from the IP group before and after challenge compared to the SC and sham groups. The IP and SC groups developed IgA, IgG and IgM antibody titers in nonvaccinated lung lobes after vaccination and challenge. The IP and SC groups exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) smaller pulmonary lesions than the sham groups and pulmonary IgG and IgA antibodies were associated with increased protection.