Bovine FcRn-mediated human immunoglobulin G transfer across the milk-blood barrier in transgenic mice

PLoS One. 2014 Dec 29;9(12):e115972. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115972. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Maternal-fetal IgGs transport occurs either prenatally or postnatally, which confers the newborns with passive immunity before their own immune system has matured. However, little is known about the mechanisms of postnatal IgGs passage in the mammary gland. To investigate how FcRn mediates the IgGs transport in the mammary gland, we first generated bFcRn and anti-HAV mAb transgenic mice, and then obtained HF transgenic mice expressing both transgenes by mating the above two strains. Transgene expression of bFcRn in the four lines was determined by qRT-PCR and western blot. We then localized the expression of bFcRn to the acinar epithelial cells in the mammary gland, and anti-HAV mAb was mainly detected in the acini with weak staining in the acinar epithelial cells. Human IgGs could be detected in both milk and serum of HF transgenic mice by western blot and ELISA. A significantly lower milk to serum ratio of human IgGs in HF mice compared with that of anti-HAV mAb mice, indicating that bFcRn could transport human IgGs across the milk-blood barrier from milk to serum during lactation in HF mice. While, there were no transport of murine IgGs, IgAs, or IgMs. These results provide understandings about the mechanisms of maternal-fetal immunity transfer in the mammary gland.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / metabolism
  • Biological Transport
  • Cattle
  • Chickens
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Hepatitis A Antibodies / metabolism
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin A / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin G / metabolism*
  • Immunoglobulin M / metabolism
  • Mammary Glands, Animal / metabolism
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Milk / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Fc / metabolism*
  • Transgenes

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Hepatitis A Antibodies
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Receptors, Fc
  • Fc receptor, neonatal

Grants and funding

This project was supported in part by the “863” High-Tech Research Development Project (Project Grant No. 2011AA100601) to Professor Ning Li and the URL is http://www.most.gov.cn, and the National Natural Scientific Foundation (Project Grant No. 81370840) to Professor Ning Li and the URL is http://www.nsfc.gov.cn. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.