CLONING BOVINE CYTOKINE CDNA FRAGMENTS AND MEASURING BOVINE CYTOKINE MESSENGER-RNA USING THE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION-POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Bovine cytokine-specific primers and the reverse transcription-polymer ase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to clone cDNA fragments that wer e specific for bovine IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, and IFN-gamma. Spec ificity of the cDNA fragments was verified by sequence analysis based on known bovine IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, and IFN-gamma gene sequen ces. In addition, RT-PCR was used to monitor cytokine mRNA expression in concanavalin A (Con A) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bovi ne peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and the results were com pared with those obtained by measuring PBMC cytokine secretion using b iologic assays. IL-1 activity in LPS-stimulated PBMC cultures was simi lar at 12 h and 24 h, although the activity decreased by approximately 40% at 48 h. IL-2 and IFN-gamma activity in supernatants of Con A-sti mulated PBMC cultures was low at 12 h and reached maximum levels at 48 h. RT-PCR transcript analysis detected an increase in IL-1 alpha, IL- 1 beta, IL-2, and IFN-gamma mRNA expression that was usually correlate d with the detection of these soluble cytokines by the bioassays. Thes e results indicate that RT-PCR is a sensitive and effective method of obtaining cDNA probes and that this technique can be used to monitor b ovine cytokine mRNA expression.