Expression profiling of cytokine genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells frominfected and healthy cattle.

Abstract

In this study, changes in expression profiles of genes encoding 14 cytokines (1, and) were investigated amongst sixinfected and six healthy crossbred cattle. Health status of the animals was determined based on clinical signs, blood smear examination and molecular detection using-specific primers. Total RNA was isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the infected animals as well as the healthy controls, which was further reverse transcribed to cDNA. Primers for real time PCR were designed using Primer3 software and the results were analyzed by the 2method withandas the reference genes. The expression levels ofandvaried significantly between the two groups, with higher expression in the infected cattle. The transcript abundance ofanddid not vary between the diseased and healthy animals. The expression ofandwas higher in the healthy animals, but the results were non-significant. Taken together, this study provides evidence for difference in expression of cytokine genes in response to anaplasmosis in crossbred cattle.