The effect of age on foal monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MoDC) maturation and function after exposure to killed bacteria

Publication date: Available online 9 March 2019Source: Veterinary Immunology and ImmunopathologyAuthor(s): Brina S. Lopez, David J. Hurley, Shyla Giancola, Steeve Giguère, M. Julia. B. Felippe, Kelsey A. HartAbstractNeonatal foals are uniquely susceptible to certain infections early in life. Dendritic cells (DCs) are vital in the transition between the innate and adaptive immune response to infection, but DC biology in foals is not fully characterized. Monocyte-derived DCs represent a suitable in vitro model similar to DCs that differentiate from monocytes recruited from circulation. We hypothesized that foal monocyte-derived DCs (MoDC) would exhibit age-dependent phenotypic and functional differences compared to adult horse MoDC. MoDC generated from 9 horses (collected once) and from 8 foals (collected at 1, 7, and 30 days-of-age) were exposed to killed whole cell Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. MoDC expression of MHC class II (MHC class-II), CD86, and CD14 were measured by flow cytometry, and supernatant cytokine concentrations of IL-4, IL-17, IFN-γ, and IL-10 were quantified with a validated immunoassay. The percentage of MoDC expressing MHC class-II and CD86 was lower and CD14 was higher for cells generated from 1-day-old foals compared to cells generated from adult horses (P < 0.0001). Bacterial exposure increased the percentage of cells expressing CD86 at all ages (P < 0.0001). Bacteria-exposed MoDC from 1-day-old foals produced signifi...
Source: Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research