Project description:EVP miRNAs levels were measured in the supernatant fraction of 54 human milk samples collected approximately 6 weeks postpartum from individuals in New Hampshire using the NanoString nCounter Human v3 miRNA expression panel
Project description:Given that different diets could alter cow milk yield and composition, the effects of different feed formula on milk extracellular vesicle (EV) miRNAs were detected. Cow milk EVs contained various small RNAs, including miRNAs, snRNAs, tiRNAs, Cis-regulatory elements, and piRNAs. Two hundred and seventy-six known bos taurus miRNAs were identified by sequencing in bovine milk EVs. There were 13 immune-related miRNAs in the top 20 miRNAs in milk EVs. Nine differently expressed known miRNAs were detected in responding to different feed formulations. Cow milk EVs are abundant of small RNAs, especially miRNAs, which might be closely related to the development of maternal mammary gland and neonatal immune maturity.
Project description:Background: Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI is a critical factor influencing the composition of breast milk. Breast milk has abundant extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing various biological molecules (cargo), including miRNAs. EVs are not degraded in the gastrointestinal system and circulation; thus, breast milk EVs (bEVs) interact with other organs in breastfed infants and modify the gene expression of recipient cells using miRNAs. In maternal obesity, miRNAs in bEVs are deregulated, which might be associated with adverse health outcomes in infants. In this study, we examined 798 miRNAs to determine which miRNAs are altered in the bEVs of obese mothers and their potential impact on breastfed infants. Methods: We recruited healthy nursing mothers who were either obese (BMI≥30) or lean (BMI<25) based on their pre-pregnancy BMI, and delivered a singleton baby in the prior six months. EVs were isolated from breast milk with ultracentrifugation. bEV characteristics were examined by flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging of EV markers. A total of 798 miRNAs were screened using a NanoString human miRNA panel to find deregulated miRNAs in bEVs of obese mothers compared to lean mothers. Results: We included 65 nursing mothers: 47 lean and 18 obese mothers based on pre-pregnancy BMI. After bEV isolation, we confirmed the expression of general EV markers. Out of 37 EV markers, CD326 was the most highly expressed marker in bEVs. From miRNA analysis using NanoString, we found that the most abundant miRNAs include miR-30b-5p, miR-494-3p, and let-7 families, and the list of top 10 miRNAs was not different between lean and obese mothers. Target genes of the top 10 miRNAs were associated with the EGFR, ErbB, and FoxO signaling pathway. Nineteen miRNAs were deregulated in bEVs of obese mothers (adjusted p < 0.05 cut-off), including miR-575, miR-548g-3p, miR-582-3p, and miR-652-5p. The target genes of these miRNAs are associated with lipid metabolism, inflammatory diseases, and nervous/cardiovascular system development. Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated altered miRNAs in bEVs of obese mothers and identified the pathways of their potential target genes. Our findings will provide insight for future studies investigating the role of bEVs in breastfed infants.
Project description:Milk can mediate maternal-neonatal signal transmission by the bioactive component-extracellular vesicles (EVs), which select specific types of miRNA to encapsulate. The miRNA profiling of sheep milk EVs was characterized by sequencing and compared with that of cow milk. Sheep milk EVs contained various small RNAs, including tRNA, Cis-regulatory element, rRNA, snRNA, other Rfam RNA, and miRNA, which held about 36% of all the small RNAs. Totally 84 types of miRNAs were annotated with Ovis aries by miRBase (version 22.0) in sheep milk EVs, with 75 shared types of miRNAs in all samples. Fourteen sheep milk EV-miRNAs in the top 20, occupying 98% of the total expression, were immune-related.
Project description:Human breast milk (BM) plays a critical role in infant development and health, particularly in cognitive, immune, and cardiometabolic functions. BM contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can transport biologically relevant cargo from mother to infant, including microRNAs (miRNAs). However, to date, most studies on BMEVs have been limited in sample size. We aimed to investigate BMEV-miRNA profiles in a human population cohort, characterize BMEV-miRNAs patterns, and assess potential pathways and ontology. We thus conducted the first study to describe the EV miRNA profile of BM in 364 mothers from a population-based mother-infant cohort in the Faroe Islands using small RNA sequencing. We detected 1,523 miRNAs with ≥ one read in 70% of samples, and 447 miRNAs with ≥ one read in 100% of samples. Using hierarchical clustering, we determined five BMEV-miRNA clusters, the top three consisting of 15, 27 and 67 miRNAs. Correlation coefficients indicated that the expression of many miRNAs within the top three clusters was highly correlated. Top-cluster BMEV-miRNAs were involved in pathways enriched for the endocrine system, cellular community, neurodevelopment, and cancers. Future studies investigating determinants of BMEV-miRNAs and associated health outcomes are needed to elucidate the role of BMEV-miRNAs in health and disease.