Assessing the bioactivity of immune-related microRNAs in colostrum and milk from high and low immune responder cows on human intestinal epithelial cells

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Bovine milk is an excellent source of proteins of high biological value and antimicrobial activity that contribute to protection against infectious diseases. The presence and concentration of those bioactive host defence-related proteins in bovine colostrum and milk is controlled by genetics and in recent years, is related to small RNA molecules known as microRNAs (miRNAs). So far, a few studies have shown that miRNAs are found in large amounts in cow's colostrum and milk. Interestingly, immune-related miRNAs were abundantly expressed in cow's milk especially colostrum suggesting their crucial immune-regulatory effect on immune function of the mammary gland and the gut development and immunity of newborn calf as well as humans. Another interesting observation with these bovine studies was the considerable variation in total miRNAs and the identified individual miRNAs. Differences in total and individual miRNAs identified were related to the differences in experimental design and the background of cows whose milk was studied. With development of the University of Guelph patented High Immune Response (HIR) technology; we thought it would be novel to evaluate the transcriptome of colostrum and milk miRNAs from high immune responder cows in comparison to those from low immune responders. In addition, the expression profiles of immune-related miRNAs in bovine colostrum and milk and their biological significance on human gut development and immunity remain to be elucidated. The main focus of the proposed research is to characterize the expression profile of miRNAs in high and low immune responding cows' colostrum and milk, determine their heritability, and their regulatory function on bovine and human intestinal epithelial cells. The results of the proposed study should provide new insight into the immunoregulatory role of immune-related miRNAs in colostrum and milk from high immune responder cows with emphasis on the health benefit of milk. In particular, this study is expected to open door for innovative applications of bovine colostrum and milk mRNAs, leading to short- and long-term benefits to the Canadian agri-food industry, consumers as well as the academic institution