Expression of TECK/CCL25 and MEC/CCL28 chemokines and their respective receptors CCR9 and CCR10 in porcine mucosal tissues

CCL25 and CCL28 (also named TECK and MEC) are CC chemokines primarily expressed by thymic dendritic cells and mucosal epithelial cells. The cognate receptors of CCL25 and CCL28, named CCR9 and CCR10, are mainly expressed on T lymphocytes for CCR9 and IgA+ and IgM+ plasmablasts for CCR9 and CCR10, respectively. In human and mouse, chemokines CCL25 and CCL28 play an important role in attracting immune cells to the gastrointestinal tract and in controlling segmental specialization of the intestinal immune system. To investigate if CCL25 and CCL28 play a similar role in the pig and to better understand lymphocyte trafficking in this species, we cloned porcine CCL25 and CCR10 and measured expression of CCL25, CCL28, CCR9, and CCR10 transcripts by real-time and conventional PCR in various tissues from newborn and young piglets, and adult sows. The results of the expression analyses show that (i) expression of CCL25 mRNA is mainly restricted to the small intestine, (ii) CCL28 mRNA expression is detectable in all tested epithelial mucosal surfaces with the highest levels of expression in the mammary gland, trachea and large intestine, (iii) high levels of expression of CCR9 mRNA in CD3+ T lymphocytes, gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), and the small intestine, (iv) high levels of expression of CCR10 mRNA in GALT, the large intestine, the small intestine, and the mammary gland, and (v) up-regulation of CCL28 mRNA expression during lactation in the mammary gland. This pattern of expression, which is discussed in the context of compartmentalization of the porcine common mucosal immune system into upper aero-digestive tract, small intestine and large intestine, suggests a key role for CCL28 in the recruitment of IgA secreting cells into the mammary gland enabling the passive transfer of IgA antibodies from mother to infant.