Mammary epithelial cell transcriptome reveals potential roles of lncRNAs in regulating milk synthesis pathways in Jersey and Kashmiri cattle

Abstract

Background Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are now proven as essential regulatory elements, playing diverse roles in many biological processes including mammary gland development. However, little is known about their roles in the bovine lactation process. Results To identify and characterize the roles of lncRNAs in bovine lactation, high throughput RNA sequencing data from Jersey (high milk yield producer), and Kashmiri cattle (low milk yield producer) were utilized. Transcriptome data from three Kashmiri and three Jersey cattle throughout their lactation stages were utilized for differential expression analysis. At each stage (early, mid and late) three samples were taken from each breed. A total of 45 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified between the three stages of lactation. The differentially expressed lncRNAs were found co-expressed with genes involved in the milk synthesis processes such as GPAM, LPL, and ABCG2 indicating their potential regulatory effects on milk quality genes. KEGG pathways analysis of potential cis and trans target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs indicated that 27 and 48 pathways were significantly enriched between the three stages of lactation in Kashmiri and Jersey respectively, including mTOR signaling, PI3K-Akt signaling, and RAP1 signaling pathways. These pathways are known to play key roles in lactation biology and mammary gland development. Conclusions Expression profiles of lncRNAs across different lactation stages in Jersey and Kashmiri cattle provide a valuable resource for the study of the regulatory mechanisms involved in the lactation process as well as facilitate understanding of the role of lncRNAs in bovine lactation biology.

RT2T: A Global Collaborative Project to Study Chromosomal Evolution in the Suborder Ruminantia

“…The annotation WG has also planned speci c comparative analysis of lactation-related genes to examine the evolution of genes that regulate milk synthesis and variation in milk constituents. There is a wealth of transcriptome datasets in cattle, buffalo, and sheep related to the mammary gland, and milk represents a rich, non-invasive source of RNA, including non-coding sno-RNA, miRNA, lnc-RNA, and mRNA [68][69][70] . Both are part of epithelial cells present in milk and within cytoplasmic droplets encapsulated in milk fat globules during apocrine secretion [71][72][73][74][75] .…”

Genome‐wide scan for selective sweeps identifies novel loci associated with resistance to mastitis in German Holstein cattle

“…LTBP1 and GPAM contribute to the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids (Lung et al, 2019) and to the fatty acid metabolic process (GO: 0006631) (Yang et al, 2015), respectively. The function of ACSL5 in fatty acids synthesis and UGCG in milk fat synthesis was reported by Wathes et al (2021) and Mumtaz et al (2022). ACSL5 has a central function in the occurrence of ketosis and is associated with negative energy balance (NEB) (Soares et al, 2021;Wathes et al, 2021) which occurs in early lactation, especially in cows with high genetic merit for milk production.…”