AUTHOR=Frie Meredith C. , Droscha Casey J. , Greenlick Ashley E. , Coussens Paul M. TITLE=MicroRNAs Encoded by Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) Are Associated with Reduced Expression of B Cell Transcriptional Regulators in Dairy Cattle Naturally Infected with BLV JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2017 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2017.00245 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2017.00245 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is estimated to infect over 83% of dairy herds and over 40% of all dairy cows in the United States. While, BLV only causes leukemia in a small proportion of animals, research indicates that BLV+ cattle exhibit reduced milk production and longevity that is distinct from lymphoma development. It is hypothesized that BLV negatively affects production by interfering with cattle immunity and increasing the risk of secondary infections. In particular, BLV+ cows demonstrate reduced circulating levels of both antigen-specific and total IgM. This study investigated possible mechanisms by which BLV could interfere with the production of IgM in naturally infected cattle. Specifically, total plasma IgM and the expression of genes