Staphylococcus aureus induces TGF-β1 and bFGF expression through the activation of AP-1 and NF-κB transcription factors in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Staphylococcus aureus is a common Gram-positive pathogen that causes bovine mastitis, a persistent infection of the bovine mammary gland. Bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) are important parenchymal cells of the bovine mammary gland. To better understand the importance of BMEC and the roles of the TLR-NF-κBand TLR-AP-1 signaling pathways in the regulation of S. aureus-associated mastitis and mammary fibrosis, BMEC cultured in vitro were stimulated with different concentrations of heat-inactivated S. aureus to analyze the gene and protein expression and production of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) as well as the protein expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and activation protein-1 (AP-1) by means of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting, respectively. Specific NF-κB and AP-1 inhibitors were also used to investigate their effects on the regulation of TGF-β1 and bFGF expression. The results indicated that, in addition to increasing mRNA expression and secretion of TLR2 and TLR4, S. aureus could also upregulate TGF-β1 and bFGF mRNA expression and secretion through the activation of NF-κB and AP-1. The increase in TGF-β1 and bFGF expression was shown to be inhibited by AP-1- and NF-κB-specific inhibitors. Taken together, S. aureus induces TGF-β1 and bFGF expression through the activation of AP-1 and NF-κB in BMECs. This information offers new potential targets for the treatment of bovine mammary fibrosis.