Cytokine-induced major histocompatibility complex class II antigens on cultured bovine mammary gland epithelial cells

The aim of this work was to establish a simple but reliable method of collecting epithelial cells from tissue lining the gland cistern of the bovine mammary gland and to investigate the ability of cultured epithelial cells to express major histocompatibility complex class II antigens. Bovine mammary gland epithelial cells were isolated and grown as monolayers on five substrates in vitro. The cells were identified as epithelial in origin by immunofluorescent staining with anticytokeratin monoclonal antibodies. Major histocompatibility complex class II antigens were induced on epithelial monolayers by incubation with supernatants from bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with concanavalin A or incubation with recombinant bovine interferon-gamma. These results suggest that, in bovine mammary gland epithelium, recombinant bovine interferon-gamma, acting alone, can induce class II expression. This observation permits future investigation of the putative role of bovine mammary gland epithelial cells as accessory cells in the initiation of local immune responses and their involvement in peptide transport.