Stromal fibroblasts derived from mammary gland of bovine with mastitis display inflammation-specific changes.
Fibroblasts are predominant components of mammary stromal cells and play crucial roles in the development and involution of bovine mammary gland; however, whether these cells contribute to mastitis has not been demonstrated. Thus, we have undertaken biological and molecular characterization of inflammation-associated fibroblasts (INFs) extracted from bovine mammary glands with clinical mastitis and normal fibroblasts (NFs) from slaughtered dairy cows because of fractured legs during lactation. The functional contributions of INFs to normal epithelial cells were also investigated by using an in vitro co-culture model. We present evidence that the INFs were activated fibroblasts and showed inflammation-related features. Moreover, INFs significantly inhibited the proliferation and β-casein secretion of epithelial cells, as well as upregulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8 in epithelial cells. These findings indicate that functional alterations can occur in stromal fibroblasts within the bovine mammary gland during mastitis, demonstrating the importance of stromal fibroblasts in bovine mastitis and its treatment.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Qing
Q
Chen
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Guiliang
G
He
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Wenyao
W
Zhang
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Tong
T
Xu
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Hongliang
H
Qi
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Jing
J
Li
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.|Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Yong
Y
Zhang
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.|Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Ming-Qing
MQ
Gao
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology*; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism