Expression of tracheal antimicrobial peptide in bovine mammary epithelial cells

The production of antimicrobial peptides is an important key of innate immunity. Tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP) expression has been reported in bovine tracheal epithelial cells and it can be modulated by bacterial infection or bacterial components. In mammary gland TAP expression has been reported, but the cell type that produces it is unknown. The objective of this work was to evaluate if bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMEC) express TAP mRNA, and evaluate the regulation of its expression in response to Staphylococcus aureus infection, bovine prolactin (bPRL) or acetyl salicylic acid (ASA). By retrotranscription and PCR, we demonstrated that bMEC express TAP mRNA. bMEC infected with live S. aureus down-regulates TAP expression, whereas the challenge with gentamicin-killed S. aureus up-regulates it. Also, bPRL do not significantly modify TAP expression, but in the presence of 5 mM ASA it was down-regulated, suggesting that nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway can be involved in its regulation.