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.

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium (MAA) represent two closely related intracellular bacteria with vastly different associated pathologies. MAA can cause severe respiratory infections in immune compromised humans but is nonpathogenic in ruminants and is more readily controlled by the bovine immune system than MAP. MAP causes a fatal wasting syndrome in ruminants, typified by granulomatous enteritis localized in the small intestine. MAP has also been cited as a potential cause of human Crohn's disease. We used a bovine immune-specific microarray (BOTL-5) to compare the response of mature bovine monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM cells) to MAP and MAA. Statistical analysis of microarray data revealed 21 genes not appreciably expressed in resting MDM cells that were activated following infection with either MAA or MAP. Further analysis revealed 144 genes differentially expressed in MDM cells following infection with MAA and 99 genes differentially expressed following infection with MAP. Of these genes, 37 were affected by both types of mycobacteria, with three being affected in opposite directions. Over 41% of the differentially expressed genes in MAA and MAP infected MDM cells were members of, regulated by, or regulators of the MAPK pathways. Expression of selected genes was validated by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR and in several key genes (i.e., IL-2 receptor, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1, and Fas-ligand) MAA was found to be a stronger activating factor than MAP. These gene expression patterns were correlated with prolonged activation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 by MAA, relative to MAP.

A cDNA microarray resource has been developed with the goal of providing integrated functional genomics resources for cattle. The National Bovine Functional Genomics Consortium's (NBFGC) expressed sequence tag (EST) collection was established in 2001 to develop resources for functional genomics research. The NBFGC EST collection and microarray contains 18,263 unique transcripts, derived from many different tissue types and various physiologically important states within these tissues. The NBFGC microarray has been tested for false-positive rates using self-self hybridizations and was shown to yield robust results in test microarray experiments. A web-accessible database has been established to provide pertinent data related to NBFGC clones, including sequence data, BLAST results, and ontology information. The NBFGC microarray represents the largest cDNA microarray for a livestock species prepared to date and should prove to be a valuable tool in studying genome-wide gene expression in cattle.

Recent developments in expressed sequence tag (EST) and cDNA microarray technology have had a dramatic impact on the ability of scientists to study the responses of thousands of genes to external stimuli, such as infection, nutrient flux, and stress. To date however, these studies have largely been limited to human and rodent systems. Despite the tremendous potential benefit of EST and cDNA microarray technology to studies of complex problems in domestic animal species, a lack of integrated resources has precluded application of these technologies to domestic species. To address this problem, the Center for Animal Functional Genomics (CAFG) at Michigan State University has developed a normalized bovine total leukocyte (BOTL) cDNA library, generated EST clones from this library, and printed cDNA microarrays suitable for studying bovine immunobiology. Our data revealed that the normalization procedure successfully reduced highly abundant cDNA species while enhancing the relative percentage of clones representing rare transcripts. To date, a total of 932 EST sequences have been generated from this library (BOTL) and the sequence information plus BLAST results made available through a web-accessible database http://gowhite.ans.msu.edu. Cluster analysis of the data indicates that a total of 842 unique cDNAs are present in this collection, reflecting a low redundancy rate of 9.7%.

For creation of first generation cDNA microarrays, inserts from 720 unique clones in this library were amplified and microarrays were produced by spotting each insert or amplicon 3 times on glass slides in a 48-patch arrangement with 64 total spots (including blanks and positive controls) per patch. To test our BOTL microarray, we compared gene expression patterns of concanavalin A stimulated and unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In total, hybridization signals on over 90 amplicons showed upregulation (>3×) in response to Con A stimulation, relative to unstimulated cells. A second experiment with PBMCs from a different group of animals was performed to test reproducibility of microarray results. There was a high correlation between the 2 experiments (r = 0.72, P < 0.001). Resources described in this publication offer a highly efficient and integrated system to study gene expression changes in bovine leukocytes.

Recent developments in microarray technologies permit scientists to analyze expression of thousands of genes simultaneously in diverse biological systems. In an effort to provide integrated resources for application of microarray technologies to studies of skeletal muscle growth and development in swine, we have constructed a normalized cDNA library from porcine skeletal muscle. The effectiveness of normalization was evaluated by DNA sequencing of clones randomly picked from the library before and after normalization, and also by Southern blot hybridization using probes representing abundant transcripts. Our data suggests that the normalization procedure successfully reduced the highly abundant cDNA species in the normalized library. To date, a total of 782 EST (expressed sequence tag) sequences have been generated from this normalized library (687 ESTs) and the original library (95 ESTs). The sequence information of these ESTs plus their BLAST results has been made available through a web accessible database (http://nbfgc.msu.edu). Cluster analysis of the data indicates that a total of 742 unique sequences are present in this collection. BLASTN search of the 742 EST sequences against the public database (dbEST) revealed that 139 had no significant matches (E-value > 10(-15)) to porcine ESTs already entered in the database, suggesting the possibility of their specific expression in porcine skeletal muscle. Generation of non-redundant ESTs from this library will allow us to construct cDNA microarrays for identification of gene expression changes that regulate muscle growth and affect meat quality in swine.