DIFFERENTIATION AND REGULATION OF BOVINE TH2 CELLS

Abstract

Memory CD4+ T cells, specifically type-2 (Th2) cells, are pivotal in defending against infections caused by extracellular pathogens, including several economically important parasites. However, whether interleukin-4 (IL4) expression is a signature feature of bovine Th2 cells likewise in mice and humans is unclear. Pasture-raised cattle, routinely exposed to extracellular parasites such as Ostertagia ostertagi (OO), are likely to develop a typical Th2 memory response. Therefore, using cytokine induction assay, we evaluated the circulatory memory bovine T cell profile of these cattle and also analyzed if the expression of presumptuous memory marker, CD45RO, is reliable in identifying memory bovine T cells. Surprisingly, the majority of the memory CD4+ T cells dominantly produced interferon-gamma (IFNγ), with only a small fraction co-expressing IL4, and memory bovine T cell identification did not correlate with CD45RO expression. Results suggested that cattle naturally exposed to extracellular parasites do not develop typically IL4 dominant Th2 response. To further investigate these results, resting CD4+ T cells isolated from healthy cattle blood were cultured under simple in vitro Th2 culture. Analysis of differentiated cells through flow cytometry revealed limited IL4 protein detection, which was in line with the lack of upregulation of IL4 and its master regulator GATA3 transcripts shown by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay. To validate whether differentiated cells were actually Th2, unbiased proteomic analysis was conducted. Based on differentially expressed 397 proteins between differentiated cells and naïve phenotype, bovine Th2 differentiation was validated; nonetheless, the process was not found to be associated with IL4 induction. Moreover, despite using published strategies from mice and humans, such as reducing T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation strength and adding exogenous recombinant bovine IL4, the expression of IL4 could not be significantly enhanced. Interestingly, differentiated bovine Th2 cells proliferated in the presence of OO antigens, suggesting that extracellular parasites could influence bovine Th2 differentiation, at least in vitro. To validate the results from pathogen-infected tissues and in vitro culture, a panel of anti-parasitic CD4+ single T cell clones was established from five pasture-raised cattle that were infected with OO. Evaluation of memory responses exhibited by the anti-parasitic CD4+ single T cell clones strongly supported IFNγ dominant memory response, and only 20% of them co-expressed IL4 through a small subset of IFN γ + cells. All the data pointed out that bovine CD4+ T cell differentiation is partially distinct from those in mice and humans, and IL4 expression is not a hallmark feature of the bovine Th2 cells.