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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328953

Title: Association of microRNAs with antibody response to mycoplasma bovis in beef cattle

Author
item Casas, Eduardo
item Cai, Guohong
item Kuehn, Larry
item Register, Karen
item McDaneld, Tara
item Neill, John

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/2016
Publication Date: 8/18/2016
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5454527
Citation: Casas, E., Cai, G., Kuehn, L.A., Register, K.B., Mcdaneld, T.G., Neill, J.D. 2016. Association of microRNAs with antibody response to mycoplasma bovis in beef cattle. PLoS One. 11(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161651.

Interpretive Summary: Molecules circulating in live cattle, known as microRNAs, are known to be regulators of gene expression in mammals. In the present study, we established differences in type and quantity of microRNAs between animals that were positive or negative to being exposed to a bacterium that causes respiratory disease (Mycoplasma bovis). Establishing the difference in type and quantity of microRNAs between healthy and diseased cattle will produce information needed to understand how genes in the animal are turned on or off, and how the animal’s immune system responds to diseases. This report is the initial phase in identifying microRNAs as potential candidates for use as a diagnostic indicator of chronic exposure, or whether intervention strategies could be developed as an alternative to antibiotics for controlling disease due to this bacterium.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify microRNAs associated with a serum antibody response to Mycoplasma bovis in beef cattle. Serum from sixteen beef calves was collected at three points: in summer after calves were born, in fall at weaning, and in the following spring. All sera collected in the summer were ELISA-negative for anti-M. bovis. By the fall, eight animals were seropositive for IgG (positive group), while eight remained negative (negative group). By spring, all animals in both groups were seropositive. MicroRNAs were extracted from sera and sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq next-generation sequencer. A total of 1,374,697 sequences mapped to microRNAs in the bovine genome. Of these, 82% of the sequences corresponded to 27 microRNAs, each represented by a minimum of 10,000 sequences. There was a statistically significant interaction between ELISA response and season for bta-miR-24-3p (P= 0.0268). All sera collected at the initial summer had a similar number of copies of this microRNA (P=0.773). In the fall, the positive group had an increased number of copies when compared to the negative group (P= 0.021), and this grew more significant by the following spring (P= 0.0001). There were 21 microRNAs associated (P< 0.05) with season. These microRNAs could be evaluated further as candidates to potentially improve productivity in cattle. The microRNAs bta-let-7b, bta-miR- 24-3p, bta-miR- 92a, and bta-miR-423-5p, were significantly associated with ELISA status (P< 0.05). These microRNAs have been recognized as playing a role in the host defense against bacteria in humans, mice, and dairy cattle. Further studies are needed to establish if these microRNAs could be used as diagnostic marker or indicator of exposure, or whether intervention strategies could be developed as an alternative to antibiotics for controlling disease due to M. bovis.