A two-step immunomagnetic separation of somatic cell subpopulations for a gene expression profile study in bovine milk

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of an immunomagnetic method to purify subpopulations of milk somatic cells. The experiment was conducted on milk samples collected from healthy cows (n = 17) and from cows with clinical mastitis (n = 24) due to a Staphylococcus aureus natural infection. A two-step immunomagnetic purification was applied to simultaneously separate three somatic cell subpopulations from the same milk sample. Total RNA was extracted and qPCR was performed to determinate mRNA levels of innate immunity target genes in purified somatic cell subpopulations. Good quality and quantity of RNA allowed the reference gene analysis in each cell subpopulation. An up-regulation of the main genes involved in innate immune defence was detected in separated polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leucocytes-monocytes and lymphocytes of mastitic milk. These results and flow cytometric analysis suggest that the immunomagnetic purification is an efficient method for the isolation of the three populations from milk, allowing the cells to be studied separately.

Activities of indigenous proteolytic enzymes in caprine milk of different somatic cell counts

Individual caprine milk with different somatic cell counts (SCC) were studied with the aim of investigating the percentage distribution of leukocyte cell types and the activities of indigenous proteolytic enzymes; proteolysis of casein was also studied in relation to cell type following recovery from milk. The experiment was conducted on 5 intensively managed dairy flocks of Garganica goats; on the basis of SCC, the experimental groups were denoted low (L-SCC; <700,000 cells/mL), medium (M-SCC; from 701,000 to 1,500,000 cells/mL), and high (H-SCC; >1,501,000 cells/mL) SCC. Leukocyte distribution differed between groups; polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes were higher in M-SCC and H-SCC milk samples, the percentage macrophages was the highest in H-SCC, and levels of nonviable cells significantly decreased with increasing SCC. Activities of all the main proteolytic enzymes were affected by SCC; plasmin activity was the highest in H-SCC milk and the lowest in L-SCC, and elastase and cathepsin D activities were the highest in M-SCC. Somatic cell count influenced casein hydrolysis patterns, with less intact α- and β-casein in H-SCC milk. Higher levels of low electrophoretic mobility peptides were detected in sodium caseinate incubated with leukocytes isolated from L-SCC milk, independent of cell type, whereas among cells recovered from M-SCC milk, macrophages yielded the highest levels of low electrophoretic mobility peptides from sodium caseinate. The level of high electrophoretic mobility peptides was higher in sodium caseinate incubated with polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes and macrophages isolated from M-SCC, whereas the same fraction of peptides was always the highest, independent of leukocyte type, for cells recovered from H-SCC milk. In caprine milk, a level of 700,000 cells/mL represented the threshold for changes in leukocyte distribution, which is presumably related to the immune status of the mammary gland. Differences in the profile of indigenous lysosomal proteolytic enzymes in caprine milk may influence the integrity of casein based on proteolysis patterns of sodium caseinate incubated with isolated and lysed leukocyte types.

Differential leucocyte count for ewe milk with low and high somatic cell count

This study was undertaken to compare flow cytometry (FC) and direct microscopic leucocyte count (MDLC) for the differentiation of macrophages, lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) and to evaluate leucocyte distribution in ewe milk with low and high somatic cell count (SCC). Milk samples were grouped for somatic cell count in low SCC (LSCC) when the content was lower than 5·00 × 10(5)/ml and high SCC (HSCC) when the content was higher than 1·00 × 10(6)/ml. No differences were found between the two methods tested suggesting that FC could be used as a routine test for rapid discrimination of leucocytes. Percentages of lymphocytes in ewe milk were higher in LSCC (50%) than in HSCC (39%) and count ranged from 273·91 ± 56·62 × 10(3) cells/ml (LSCC) to 308·90 ± 46·15 × 10(3) cells/ml (HSCC). PMN number was lower in LSCC than in HSCC (248·83 ± 46·87 × 10(3) cells/ml v. 444·38 ± 58·62 × 10(3) cells/ml); accordingly the percentage was lower in LSCC (40%) than in HSCC (57%). No differences were found for macrophages which were 36·36 ± 5·51 × 10(3) cells/ml and 39·32 ± 6·83 × 10(3) cells/ml in LSCC and HSCC, respectively. Lymphocytes in ewe milk did not vary with increased number of somatic cells and were the predominant cell type in LSCC. PMN represented the main population detected in HSCC and the correlation with SCC evidenced that this leucocyte class could be useful in differentiating ewe milk cell count, being strictly responsible for the SCC increase.