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Bovine leukemia virus-gp51 antigen expression is associated with CD5 and IgM markers on infected lymphocytes
Insights
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection causes persistent lymphocytosis in cows, leading to B-lymphocyte proliferation. These cells express IgM, CD5, and BLV-gp51, indicating a potential target for BLV.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Virology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection is a significant concern in cattle, often leading to persistent lymphocytosis (PL).
- Persistent lymphocytosis is characterized by a massive proliferation of B-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of infected animals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the co-expression of IgM, CD5, and BLV-gp51 antigen on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from BLV-infected cows with persistent lymphocytosis.
- To determine the association between B-cell markers (IgM, CD5) and BLV infection markers (BLV-gp51) on lymphocytes.
Main Methods:
- Three-color flow cytometry was employed to analyze PBMC from BLV-infected cows.
- PBMC were cultured in vitro with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) for 24 hours prior to analysis.
- Simultaneous detection of IgM, CD5, and BLV-gp51 antigen on individual cells was performed.
Main Results:
- A high percentage of PBMC from PL+ cows expressed BLV-gp51 antigen (43%).
- Among BLV-gp51 positive cells, a significant majority (90%) co-expressed both IgM and CD5 markers.
- A substantial proportion of IgM+ cells (52%) and CD5+ cells (54.7%) also expressed BLV-gp51 simultaneously.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a strong association between the B-cell phenotype (IgM+, CD5+) and BLV tropism.
- Cells expressing both IgM and CD5 markers appear to be the primary target cells for BLV infection in cows with persistent lymphocytosis.
Abstract:
Cows that develop a persistent lymphocytosis (PL) as a result of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection develop massive proliferation of B-lymphocytes expressing both IgM and CD5 markers. The association of these two markers on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) derived from BLV-infected cows and also expressing BLV-gp51 antigen marker on these cells was determined by three-color cytometric analysis. After in vitro cultivation of PBMC in the presence of PHA for 24 h, the mean percentages of marker-reactive cells of five PL+ cows were as follows; 43% +/- 4.5 of the PBMC expressed BLV-gp51 antigen; 90% +/- 1.6 of these cells expressed both IgM and CD5 at the same time, whereas but 7.5% +/- 1.9 expressed only IgM and 2.9% +/- 0.4 expressed only CD5. The PBMC, IgM positive cells accounted for 77.8% +/- 6.8, while both CD5 and BLV-gp51 were detected simultaneously on 52.0% +/- 2.4 of the IgM+ cells, while the CD5 marker and BLV-gp51 antigen were detected independently on 35.0% +/- 1.9 and in 9.0% +/- 3.1, respectively of the IgM+ cells. Of the CD5+ cells (equivalent to 75.5% +/- 9.0 of the PBMC), 54.7% +/- 4.7 expressed simultaneously IgM and BLV-gp51, while BLV-gp51 and IgM were expressed separately by 3.0% +/- 0.5 and 37.8% +/- 3.3, respectively. An association between the B-cell phenotype and BLV tropism might exist. It is also possible that cells bearing both IgM and CD5 markers are the main target cells for BLV infection.
