Bovine Kidney Epithelial Cells Research Articles

The combination of high glucose and LPS induces autophagy in bovine kidney epithelial cells via the Notch3/mTOR signaling pathway

BackgroundAside respiratory diseases, beef cattle may also suffer from serious kidney diseases after transportation. Hyperglycemia and gram-negative bacterial infection may be the main reasons why bovine is prone to severe kidney disease during transportation stress, however, the precise mechanism is still unclear. The purpose of the current study is to explore whether the combined treatment of high glucose (HG) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could induce madin-darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells injury and autophagy, as well as investigate the potential molecular mechanisms involved.ResultsAs we discovered, the combined effect of HG and LPS decreased MDBK cells viability. And, HG and LPS combination also induced autophagy in MDBK cells, which was characterized by increasing the expression of LC3-II/I and Beclin1 and decreasing p62 expression. LC3 fluorescence signal formation was also significantly increased by HG and LPS combination treatment. Furthermore, we measured whether the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the Notch3 signaling pathways were involved in HG and LPS-induced autophagy. The results showed that the combination of HG and LPS significantly increased the protein expression of Notch3 and decreased protein expression of p-mTOR, indicating that Notch3 and mTOR signaling pathways were activated. However, co-treatment with the Notch3 inhibitor (DAPT) could reverse the induction of autophagy, and increased the protein expression of p-mTOR.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that the combination effect of HG and LPS could induce autophagy in MDBK cells, and the Notch3/mTOR signaling pathway was involved in HG and LPS-induced autophagy.

Notch3-Mediated mTOR Signaling Pathway Is Involved in High Glucose-Induced Autophagy in Bovine Kidney Epithelial Cells.

It is reported that Notch3 and mTOR signaling pathways are involved in autophagy, and both can be activated by high glucose (HG). However, the relationship between Notch3 and mTOR and how Notch3 affects mTOR to regulate HG-induced autophagy in bovine kidney epithelial cells is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore how Notch3 affects mTOR to modulate HG-induced autophagy in bovine kidney cells. Our results showed that HG treatment significantly decreased the cell viability of MDBK cells in a dose-dependent manner. HG treatment significantly increased the expression of LC3-II/I ratio and Beclin1 protein and significantly decreased the expression of p62 protein. Consistently, LC3 fluorescence signal formation was detected by immunofluorescence in both dose and time-dependent manners. In addition, HG treatment significantly increased the expression of Notch3 protein and decreased the expression of the p-mTOR protein in both dose and time-dependent manners. Inhibition of Notch3 upregulated the expression of p-mTOR and p62 protein, and downregulated the expression of LC3-II/I ratio and Beclin1 protein. Besides, the function of Notch3 was investigated. In this study, inhibition of Notch3 activity significantly increased the viability of HG-stimulated MDBK cells. In summary, our results revealed that the Notch3-mediated mTOR signaling pathway was involved in HG-induced autophagy in MDBK cells.

Inhibitory Effects of Myrtucommuacetalone 1 (MCA-1) from Myrtus communis on Inflammatory Response in Mouse Macrophages.

(1) Introduction: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) are key signaling molecules that play important roles in the progression of inflammatory disorders. The objective of this study was to explore the use of myrtucommuacetalone-1 (MCA-1), as a novel compound of natural origin and a potential anti-inflammatory agent. (2) Methodology: The anti-inflammatory potential of MCA-1, which was isolated from Myrthus communis Linn, was determined by assaying superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide production in macrophages. Furthermore, the effects of the compound were analyzed via phosphorylation and translocation of the transcription factor NF kappa B, which is a key regulator of iNOS activation. The effect of MCA-1 on the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme was also examined using in silico docking studies. The anticancer potential for MCA-1 was evaluated with an MTT cytotoxic assay. (3) Results: In stimulated macrophages, MCA-1 inhibited superoxide production by 48%, hydrogen peroxide by 53%, and nitric oxide (NO) with an IC50 of <1 µg/mL. MCA-1 also showed a very strong binding pattern within the active site of the inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme. Furthermore, 25 µg/mL of MCA-1 inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and abolished transcription factor (NFκB) phosphorylation and translocation to the nucleus. Cytotoxicity analyses of MCA-1 on 3T3 mouse fibroblasts, CC1 liver cell line, J774.2, macrophages and MDBK bovine kidney epithelial cell, yielded IC50 values of 6.53 ± 1.2, 4.6 ± 0.7, 5 ± 0.8, and 4.6 ± 0.7, µg/mL, respectively. (4) Conclusion: Our results suggest that MCA-1, a major phloroglucinol-type compound, shows strong anti-inflammatory activity and has a potential to be a leading therapeutic agent in the future.

Widespread basal cytochrome P450 expression in extrahepatic bovine tissues and isolated cells

Periparturient cattle face increased risk of both metabolic and infectious diseases. Factors contributing to this predisposition include oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids, also known as oxylipids, whose production is altered during the periparturient period and in diseased cattle. Alterations in the production of oxylipids derived from cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes are over-represented during times of increased disease risk and clinical disease, such as mastitis. Many of these same CYP450 enzymes additionally regulate metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, and E. These vitamins are essential to maintaining immune health, yet circulating concentrations are diminished near calving. Despite this, a relatively small amount of research has focused on the roles of CYP450 enzymes outside of the liver. The aim of this paper is to describe the relative gene expression of 11 CYP450 in bovine tissues and common in vitro bovine cell models. Eight tissue samples were collected from 3 healthy dairy cows after euthanasia. In vitro samples included primary bovine aortic and mammary endothelial cells and immortalized bovine kidney and mammary epithelial cells. Quantitative real-time-PCR was carried out to assess basal transcript expression of CYP450 enzymes. Surprisingly, CYP450 mRNA was widely expressed in all tissue samples, with predominance in the liver. In vitro CYP450 expression was less robust, with several cell types lacking expression of specific CYP450 enzymes altogether. Overall, cell culture models did not reflect expression of tissue CYP450. However, when CYP450 were organized by activity, certain cell types consistently expressed specific functional groups. These data reveal the widespread expression of CYP450 in individual organs of healthy dairy cows. Widespread expression helps to explain previous evidence of significant changes in CYP450-mediated oxylipid production and fat-soluble vitamin metabolism in organ microenvironments during periods of oxidative stress or disease. As such, these data provide a foundation for targeted functional experiments aimed at understanding the activities of specific CYP450 and associated therapeutic potential during times of increased disease risk.

The Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol Significantly Alters the Function and Metabolism of Bovine Kidney Epithelial Cells In Vitro.

Bovine mycotoxicosis is a disorder caused by the ingestion of fungal toxins. It is associated with chronic signs, such as reduced growth rate and milk yield, and causes significant economic cost to the dairy industry. The mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) are commonly found in grain fed to cattle. Patulin (PA) is a common grass silage contaminant but is also found in grain. The effects of these mycotoxins on cellular function at low concentrations are not well understood. Using Madin–Darby bovine kidney cells we evaluated the cellular response to these mycotoxins, measuring cytotoxicity, de novo protein synthesis, cell proliferation, cell cycle analysis, and also metabolic profiling by 1H NMR spectroscopy. DON, ZEN, and PA induced cytotoxicity, and PA and FB1 induced a decrease in metabolic activity in surviving cells. DON was the only mycotoxin found to have a significant effect on the metabolic profile, with exposed cells showing increased cellular amino acids, lactate, 2-oxoglutarate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and decreased β-alanine, choline, creatine, taurine, and myo-inositol. Cells exposed to DON also showed reductions in protein synthesis. DON has previously been documented as being a ribotoxin; the results here suggest that exposure of bovine cells to DON causes a decrease in protein synthesis with corresponding cellular accumulation of precursors. Cell proliferation was also arrested without causing apoptosis. It is likely that exposure triggers hypoxic, hypertonic, and ribotoxic responses in bovine cells, and that these responses contribute to reduced productivity in exposed cattle.

Functional annotation of the cattle genome through systematic discovery and characterization of chromatin states and butyrate-induced variations

BackgroundThe functional annotation of genomes, including chromatin accessibility and modifications, is important for understanding and effectively utilizing the increased amount of genome sequences reported. However, while such annotation has been well explored in a diverse set of tissues and cell types in human and model organisms, relatively little data are available for livestock genomes, hindering our understanding of complex trait variation, domestication, and adaptive evolution. Here, we present the first complete global landscape of regulatory elements in cattle and explore the dynamics of chromatin states in rumen epithelial cells induced by the rumen developmental regulator—butyrate.ResultsWe established the first global map of regulatory elements (15 chromatin states) and defined their coordinated activities in cattle, through genome-wide profiling for six histone modifications, RNA polymerase II, CTCF-binding sites, DNA accessibility, DNA methylation, and transcriptome in rumen epithelial primary cells (REPC), rumen tissues, and Madin-Darby bovine kidney epithelial cells (MDBK). We demonstrated that each chromatin state exhibited specific enrichment for sequence ontology, transcription, methylation, trait-associated variants, gene expression-associated variants, selection signatures, and evolutionarily conserved elements, implying distinct biological functions. After butyrate treatments, we observed that the weak enhancers and flanking active transcriptional start sites (TSS) were the most dynamic chromatin states, occurred concomitantly with significant alterations in gene expression and DNA methylation, which was significantly associated with heifer conception rate and stature economic traits.ConclusionOur results demonstrate the crucial role of functional genome annotation for understanding genome regulation, complex trait variation, and adaptive evolution in livestock. Using butyrate to induce the dynamics of the epigenomic landscape, we were able to establish the correlation among nutritional elements, chromatin states, gene activities, and phenotypic outcomes.

Co-infection of epithelial cells established from the upper and lower bovine respiratory tract with bovine respiratory syncytial virus and bacteria

Bovine respiratory disease complex is a major disease affecting the global cattle industry. Multiple infections by viruses and bacteria increase disease severity. Previously, we reported that bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) infection increases adherence of Pasteurella multocida to human respiratory and bovine kidney epithelial cells. To examine the interaction between the virus and bacteria in bovine respiratory cells, we generated respiratory epithelial cell lines from bovine trachea (bTEC), bronchus (bBEC), and lung (bLEC). Although all established cell lines were infected by BRSV and P. multocida susceptibility differed according to site of origin. The cells derived from the lower respiratory tract (bBEC and bLEC) were significantly more susceptible to BRSV than those derived from the upper respiratory tract (bTEC). Pre-infection of bBEC and bLEC with BRSV increased adherence of P. multocida; this was not the case for bTEC. These results indicate that BRSV may reproduce better in the lower respiratory tract and encourage adherence of bacteria. Thus, we identify one possible mechanism underlying severe pneumonia.

Identification of potentially cytotoxic phenolics present in pomegranates (Punica granatum L.)

Recent research into the benefits of feeding pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peels or extracts to dairy cattle has suggested these supplements may increase the health and productivity of these animals. However, in Victoria, Australia, several cattle died after consuming large amounts of pomegranate fruit, causing suspicion about the safety of pomegranates to cattle. An in vitro bioassay mediated approach was used to purify and identify metabolites from a crude extract of pomegranate fruit obtained from the affected farm. The metabolites that are most likely to cause cytotoxicity to bovine kidney epithelial cells (MDBK) were identified as gallic acid (IC50 41.2 ± 19.0 μg/mL), ellagic acid, and punicalagin (IC50 314.1 ± 110.7 μg/mL). Although only small concentrations of gallic acid (8 μg/mg dried extract) were detected in the pomegranate fruit extract, microbial metabolism of punicalagin (276.2 μg/mg dried extract) in the rumen could result in the formation of substantial amounts of gallic acid, potentially contributing to significant toxicity.

Characterization of natural fibre-embedded biodegradable porous structures prepared with fused deposition process

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional printing, is an emerging technology that has revolutionized various sectors, including, manufacturing, construction and medical. Specifically in the medical sector, this technology has brought tremendous process as with its aid customized, porous and controlled geometries are easily producible through the integration of magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography scan like imaging techniques. Till date, a wide variety of commercial and in-house developed biomaterials have been successfully used in biomedical and tissue engineering applications. However, very less work has been reported on the use of natural fibre (such as silk and sheep wool)-embedded biomedical structure prepared through fused deposition process (FDP). In this work, we have embedded the FDP-based polylactic acid (PLA) structures with biologically treated natural fibres. The effect of input variables (natural fibre, number of laminates, infill density and raster angle) on the mechanical characteristics of resulting structures was also studied, through design of experimentation. Mechanical testing revealed sustained scaffold stability. Selected structures were exposed to Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) epithelial fibroblast cells to compare cell ingrowth and viability. The matrices exhibited the growth of fibroblast cells which showed proliferation and differentiation in interconnected FDP specimens. Overall, this study demonstrates that embedment of natural fibre has catalyzed the reproduction of MDBK cells on PLA structures, printed with simple and economical tabletop AM system.

Characterization of the In Vitro Chlamydia pecorum Response to Gamma Interferon.

Chlamydia pecorum is an important intracellular bacterium that causes a range of diseases in animals, including a native Australian marsupial, the koala. In humans and animals, a gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-mediated immune response is important for the control of intracellular bacteria. The present study tested the hypotheses that C. pecorum can escape IFN-γ-mediated depletion of host cell tryptophan pools. In doing so, we demonstrated that, unlike Chlamydia trachomatis, C. pecorum is completely resistant to IFN-γ in human epithelial cells. While the growth of C. pecorum was inhibited in tryptophan-deficient medium, it could be restored by the addition of kynurenine, anthranilic acid, and indole, metabolites that could be exploited by the gene products of the C. pecorum tryptophan biosynthesis operon. We also found that expression of trp genes was detectable only when C. pecorum was grown in tryptophan-free medium, with gene repression occurring in response to the addition of kynurenine, anthranilic acid, and indole. When grown in bovine kidney epithelial cells, bovine IFN-γ also failed to restrict the growth of C. pecorum, while C. trachomatis was inhibited, suggesting that C. pecorum could use the same mechanisms to evade the immune response in vivo in its natural host. Highlighting the different mechanisms triggered by IFN-γ, however, both species failed to grow in murine McCoy cells treated with murine IFN-γ. This work confirms previous hypotheses about the potential survival of C. pecorum after IFN-γ-mediated host cell tryptophan depletion and raises questions about the immune pathways used by the natural hosts of C. pecorum to control the widespread pathogen.

Ribonuclease from Bacillus pumilus Prevents HSV-1 Entrance into the Cell and Reproduction

Herpes simplex virus type 1 is a highly contagious worldwide prevalent infection, which, once it enters the organism, persists during its whole lifetime. According to World Health Organization estimates, about 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 years (90% of the human population) are infected with by HSV-1 worldwide. The important role played by ribonucleases (RNases) in protection of the cell and whole organism from viruses has been confirmed by a considerable body of data that allow considering RNases not only as immune system components, but also as a basis for development of the new antiviral drugs. The purpose of the present work was to demonstrate the antiviral activity of the RNase from Bacillus pumilus (binase) toward HSV-1 at the cell entrance and reproduction stages. Virus treatment with binase in the concentration of 100 μg/mL for 60 min reduced virus replication in the bovine kidney epithelial cell culture MDBK by 100 times compared with untreated virus. Development of cytopathic effects produced by untreated virus in the cells grown on the medium with binase was retarded by 7 h compared with the growth of virus-infected cells on the medium without binase. It may be suggested that HSV-1 treatment with RNases reduces its ability to enter the cell; antiviral action of RNases toward the intracellular virus is realized at the initial stage of virus reproduction.

A Microarray-Based Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Intracellular Brucella abortus 544 within Mdbk Cells

Background: Modulation of gene expression is a fundamental requirement for adaptation of intracellular Brucella abortus. Since most of the current understanding mainly focus on professional phagocytes and renal involvement is uncommon in brucellosis, our aim was to identify and analyze changes in B. abortus gene expression in response to intracellular environment within a bovine kidney cell line. Methodology: B. abortus RNA were isolated from Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) epithelial cells during replicative phase and the transcriptional profile of intracellular B. abortus was characterized using microarray analysis. Results and interpretation: The microarray analysis revealed a total of 1,623 differentially expressed genes of ≥ 2-fold–788 (25.44%, 788/3098) upregulated and 835 (26.95%,835/3098) down-regulated genes as compared with free-living Brucella. Among these identified genes, 81 and 185 were upregulated and down-regulated at ≥ 7-fold, respectively, showing a marked induction of genes involved in transcription and distinct repression of genes involved in translation, ribosomal structure and biosynthesis. Conclusion: The identified genes in this study may provide new insights into the molecular interactions between B. abortus and non-phagocytic bovine cell line, MDBK. In addition, several differentially highly expressed transcripts were hypothetical genes with unknown function and/or unclassified which require further characterization due to their potential contribution in the virulence and strategy of Brucella to survive and proliferate within the host.

Sensitivity and specificity of indirect ELISA for the detection of antibody titers against BVDV from beef cattle raised in Pará State

The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of anti-bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) antibodies (Ab) in beef cattle raised in Pará state, to compare the prevalence of seropositive animals to BVDV using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (iELISA) and the virus neutralization (VN) test, and finally, to determine the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the iELISA for the detection of anti-BVDV Ab using VN as a gold standard. A total of 400 serum blood samples from Nelore cows aged at least 24 months from five farms in the Pará state from two mesoregions (Metropolitan Region of Belem and Northeast of Pará) were analyzed. All animals were vaccinated against brucellosis and foot-and-mouth disease. The examination of anti-BVDV Ab with VN was performed in the Laboratory of Bovine Viruses of the Biological Institute of Sao Paulo as described in the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals. For VN, bovine kidney epithelial cells from the Madin Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) strain were used. The determinations of anti-BVDV Ab were performed with the iELISA test at the Laboratory of Immunology and Microbiology of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The results were classified as follows: (a) correct positive diagnosis, (b) incorrect positive diagnosis, (c) correct negative diagnosis, and (d) incorrect negative diagnosis, according to the results obtained from VN. From the values obtained from VN and iELISA, Se [(a ÷ a + d) × 100], Sp [(c ÷ c + b) × 100], positive predictive value [(a ÷ a + B) × 100], and negative predictive value [(c ÷ c + d) × 100] were calculated for iELISA. The frequencies (%) of seropositive animals were determined and compared both between the different tests (iELISA and VN) and between the different farms (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). The statistical analysis was performed with a significance level of 5%. The prevalence of seropositive animals was found to be different (P &lt; 0.0001) using VN (39.25% [157/400]) and iELISA (54.50% [218/400]). It was observed that the Se and Sp of the iELISA assay were 98.72% and 74.07%, respectively. Of the total, 25.93% (63/243) of the samples were considered false-positive and 1.27% false-negative (2/157). It was concluded that the BVDV infection is present in beef cattle herds of the state of Para. Based on the speed of execution, ease of handling, and high Se of the iELISA, it is suggested that this assay can be used as a screening test for the detection of anti-BVDV Ab with the aim of eliminating infected animals from large herds of beef cattle.

Human IL6 stimulates bovine satellite cell proliferation through a Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-dependent mechanism

Bovine satellite cell (bSC) myogenesis and skeletal muscle hypertrophy occur through the orchestrated actions of multiple autocrine and paracrine growth factors. Intimate to the bSC niche is IL6, a dual-purpose cytokine with proinflammatory and mitogenic properties. The objective of the experiment was to examine the effects of IL6 on proliferation and differentiation of bSC in vitro. Treatment of primary bSC cultures with recombinant bovine IL6 (bIL6) failed to alter myogenesis owing to the absence of intracellular signal transduction. The cytokine was able to stimulate phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 tyrosine 705 (STAT3Y705) in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) epithelial cells, thus demonstrating bioactivity. Media supplemented with recombinant human IL6 (hIL6) caused phosphorylation of STAT3Y705 in bSC and increased (P < 0.05) proliferation. Inclusion of a STAT3 inhibitor in the media blunted phosphorylation of the STAT3Y705 and suppressed (P < 0.05) hIL6-mediated bSC proliferation. Morphologic and biochemical measures of bSC differentiation remained unchanged (P > 0.05) following treatment for 48 h with hIL6. These results support a role for hIL6 as a bSC mitogen in vitro. The inability of bIL6 to initiate an intracellular signal in bSC requires further investigation.

Species Specific Antiviral Activity of Porcine Interferon-α8 (IFNα8).

Interferons (IFNs) have been known as antiviral genes and they are classified by type 1, type 2, and type 3 IFN. The type 1 IFN consists of IFNα, IFNβ, IFNτ, and IFNω whereas the type 2 IFN consists of only IFNγ, which is a key cytokine driving T helper cell type 1 immunity. IFNλ belongs to the type 3 IFN, which is also known as IL-28 and IL-29 possessing antiviral activities. Type 1 IFN is produced by viral infection whereas type 2 IFN is induced by mitogenic or antigenic T-cell stimuli. The IFNτ of bovine was first discovered in an ungulate ruminant recognition hormone. IFNτ belongs to the type 1 IFN with the common feature of type 1 IFN such as antiviral activity. IFNs have been mostly studied for basic research and clinical usages therefore there was no effort to investigate IFNs in industrial animals. Here we cloned porcine IFNα8 from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Korean domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica). The newly cloned IFNα8 amino acid sequence from Korean domestic pig shares 98.4% identity with the known porcine IFNα8 in databank. The recombinant porcine IFNα8 showed potent antiviral activity and protected bovine Madin-Darby bovine kidney epithelial (MDBK) cells from the cytopathic effect of vesicular stomatitis virus, but it failed to protect human Wistar Institute Susan Hayflick (WISH) cells and canine Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial-like (MDCK) cells. The present study demonstrates species specific antiviral activity of porcine IFNα8.

Inability of FMDV replication in equine kidney epithelial cells is independent of integrin αvβ3 and αvβ6

Integrins can function as receptors for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in epithelium. Horses are believed to be insusceptible to this disease, but the mechanism of resistance remains unclear. To detect whether FMDV can use integrin to attach to equine epithelial, we compared the utilities of αvβ3 and αvβ6 between bovine and equine kidney epithelial cells (KECs). Equine KECs showed almost equal efficiency to those of bovine. Further, the integrin αv, β3, and β6 subunits from bovine and equine were cloned and vectors were transfected into SW480 cells and COS-1 cells alone or together, and virus titers were used to determine the viral replication. In all cases, the virus reproduced successfully. Overall, FMDV can replicate in SW480 cells transfected with equine β3/β6 subunits and COS-1 cells transfected with equine αvβ3/αvβ6 integrins, but not in EKECs. These results indicated that failure of FMDV replication in EKECs was not attributed to integrin receptors.

Development of sheep kidney cells with increased resistance to different subgenotypes of BVDV-1 by RNA interference

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) should be a ubiquitous viral pathogen to the cattle and sheep industry. This pathogen is responsible for severe economic losses. We previously showed that plasmid-mediated dual short hairpin RNA (shRNA) efficiently inhibit BVDV replication in bovine kidney epithelial (MDBK) cells. In this study, we delivered the dual shRNA system to sheep fibroblasts and generated transgenic cell colonies. These transgenic fibroblasts were further used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Three lambs were born at full term, but perished soon after birth. Integration of shRNA into the genome of cloned sheep was confirmed by PCR and expression of shRNA in transgenic sheep was confirmed by real-time PCR. Kidney epithelial cells were isolated from transgenic sheep and challenged with multiple BVDV subgenotypes (BVDV-1a, BVDV-1b and BVDV-1c). The dual shRNA expressed in transgenic kidney epithelial cells significantly inhibited BVDV replication in a cross-resistance manner. Our results showed that transgenic RNAi might be a useful tool for preparation of transgenic animals with increased resistance to BVDV.

Zinc supplementation protects against cadmium accumulation and cytotoxicity in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells.

Cadmium ions (Cd2+) have been reported to accumulate in bovine tissues, although Cd2+ cytotoxicity has not been investigated thoroughly in this species. Zinc ions (Zn2+) have been shown to antagonize the toxic effects of heavy metals such as Cd2+ in some systems. The present study investigated Cd2+ cytotoxicity in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) epithelial cells, and explored whether this was modified by Zn2+. Exposure to Cd2+ led to a dose- and time-dependent increase in apoptotic cell death, with increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial damage. Zn2+ supplementation alleviated Cd2+-induced cytotoxicity and this protective effect was more obvious when cells were exposed to a lower concentration of Cd2+ (10 μM), as compared to 50 μM Cd2+. This indicated that high levels of Cd2+ accumulation might induce irreversible damage in bovine kidney cells. Metallothioneins (MTs) are metal-binding proteins that play an essential role in heavy metal ion detoxification. We found that co-exposure to Zn2+ and Cd2+ synergistically enhanced RNA and protein expression of MT-1, MT-2, and the metal-regulatory transcription factor 1 in MDBK cells. Notably, addition of Zn2+ reduced the amounts of cytosolic Cd2+ detected following MDBK exposure to 10 μM Cd2+. These findings revealed a protective role of Zn2+ in counteracting Cd2+ uptake and toxicity in MDBK cells, indicating that this approach may provide a means to protect livestock from excessive Cd2+ accumulation.

Regulation of bovine pyruvate carboxylase mRNA and promoter expression by thermal stress1

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in gluconeogenesis from lactate and is a determinant of tricarboxylic acid cycle carbon flux. Bovine PC 5' untranslated region (UTR) mRNA variants are the products of a single PC gene containing 3 promoter regions (P3, P2, and P1, 5' to 3') that are responsive to physiological and nutritional stressors. The objective of this study was to determine the direct effects of thermal stress on PC mRNA and gene expression in bovine hepatocyte monolayer cultures, rat hepatoma (H4IIE) cells, and Madin-Darby bovine kidney epithelial (MDBK) cells. Hepatocytes were isolated from 3 Holstein bull calves and used to prepare monolayer cultures. Rat hepatoma cells and MDBK cells were obtained from American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA. Beginning 24 h after initial seeding, cells were subjected to either 37°C (control) or 42°C (thermal stress) for 24 h. Treatments were applied in triplicate in a minimum of 3 independent cell preparations. For bovine primary hepatocytes, endogenous expression of bovine PC mRNA increased (P < 0.1) with 24 h of thermal stress (1.31 vs. 2.79 ± 0.49, arbitrary units, control vs. thermal stress, respectively), but there was no change (P ≥ 0.1) in cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C) mRNA expression. Similarly, exposure of MDBK cells to thermal stress increased (P < 0.1) expression of bovine PC mRNA without altering (P ≥ 0.1) PEPCK-C mRNA expression. Conversely, there was no effect (P ≥ 0.1) of thermal stress on endogenous rat PC (0.47 vs. 0.30 ± 0.08, control vs. thermal stress) or PEPCK-C (1.61 vs. 1.20 ± 0.48, arbitrary units, control vs. thermal stress, respectively) mRNA expressions in H4IIE cells. To further investigate the regulation of PC, H4IIE cells were transiently transfected with bovine promoter-luciferase constructs containing either P1, P2, or P3, and exposed to thermal stress for 23 h. Activity of P1 was suppressed (P < 0.1) 5-fold, activity of P2 was unchanged (P ≥ 0.1), and activity of P3 was increased (P < 0.1) by 5.4-fold. These data indicate that response of bovine PC gene to thermal stress is through promoter regulation and suggest that there are unique characteristics of bovine PC promoters that may contribute to the physiological response to thermal stress.

Alpha-Tocopherol Alters Transcription Activities that Modulates Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) Induced Inflammatory Response in Bovine Cells1

To further investigate the potential role of α-tocopherol in maintaining immuno-homeostasis in bovine cells (Madin-Darby bovine kidney epithelial cell line), we undertook in vitro experiments using recombinant TNF-α as an immuno-stimulant to simulate inflammation response in cells with or without α-tocopherol pre-treatment. Using microarray global-profiling and IPA (Ingenuity Pathways Analysis, Ingenuity® Systems, http://www.ingenuity.com) data analysis on TNF-α-induced gene perturbation in those cells, we focused on determining whether α-tocopherol treatment of normal bovine cells in a standard cell culture condition can modify cell’s immune response induced by TNF-α challenge. When three datasets were filtered and compared using IPA, there were a total of 1750 genes in all three datasets for comparison, 97 genes were common in all three sets; 615 genes were common in at least two datasets; there were 261 genes unique in TNF-α challenge, 399 genes were unique in α-tocopherol treatment, and 378 genes were unique in the α-tocopherol plus TNF-α treatment. TNF-α challenge induced significant change in gene expression. Many of those genes induced by TNF-α are related to the cells immune and inflammatory responses. The results of IPA data analysis showed that α-tocopherol-pretreatment of cells modulated cell’s response to TNF-α challenge. In most of the canonical pathways, α-tocopherol pretreatment showed the antagonistic effect against the TNF-α-induced pro-inflammatory responses. We concluded that α-tocopherol pre-treatment has a significant antagonistic effect that modulates the cell’s response to the TNF-α challenge by altering the gene expression activities of some important signaling molecules.