A single-cell transcriptome of bovine milk somatic cells

Zorc, Minja (author), Dolinar, Mateja (author), Dovč, Peter (author)

The production of milk by dairy cows far exceeds the nutritional needs of the calf and is vital for the economical use of dairy cattle. High milk yield is a unique production trait that can be effectively enhanced through traditional selection methods. The process of lactation in cows serves as an excellent model for studying the biological aspects of lactation with the aim of exploring the mechanistic base of this complex trait at the cellular level. In this study, we analyzed the milk transcriptome at the single-cell level by conducting scRNA-seq analysis on milk samples from two Holstein Friesian cows at mid-lactation (75 and 93 days) using the 10× Chromium platform. Cells were pelleted and fat was removed from milk by centrifugation. The cell suspension from each cow was loaded on separate channels, resulting in the recovery of 9313 and 14,544 cells. Library samples were loaded onto two lanes of the NovaSeq 6000 (Illumina) instrument. After filtering at the cell and gene levels, a total of 7988 and 13,973 cells remained, respectively. We were able to reconstruct different cell types (milk-producing cells, progenitor cells, macrophages, monocytes, dendritic cells, T cells, B cells, mast cells, and neutrophils) in bovine milk. Our findings provide a valuable resource for identifying regulatory elements associated with various functions of the mammary gland such as lactation, tissue renewal, native immunity, protein and fat synthesis, and hormonal response.

• Language: English
• Keywords: mammary gland, scRNA-seq, lactation, cattle, transcriptome, milk somatic cells, differential gene expression
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 13 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 3, art. 349
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-155449
• UDC: 636.2:575
• ISSN on article: 2073-4425
• DOI: 10.3390/genes15030349
• COBISS.SI-ID: 188325123
• Publication date in RUL: 02.04.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Genes
• Shortened title: Genes
• Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
• ISSN: 2073-4425
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523100185

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: govedo, krave, molznice, mlečna žleza, somatske celice mleka, genetika, RNA, transkriptom

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0220
• Name: Primerjalna genomika in genomska biodiverziteta

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J4-3095
• Name: Aplikacija sekvenciranja posameznih celic in strojnega učenja v biologiji mlečne žleze