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A novel approach identified the FOLR1 gene, a putative regulator of milk protein synthesis

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Abstract

This study has utilised comparative functional genomics to exploit animal models with extreme adaptation to lactation to identify candidate genes that specifically regulate protein synthesis in the cow mammary gland. Increasing milk protein production is valuable to the dairy industry. The lactation strategies of both the Cape fur seal (Artocephalus pusillus pusillus) and the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) include periods of high rates of milk protein synthesis during an established lactation and therefore offer unique models to target genes that specifically regulate milk protein synthesis. Global changes in mammary gene expression in the Cape fur seal, tammar wallaby, and the cow (Bos taurus) were assessed using microarray analysis. The folate receptor α (FOLR1) showed the greatest change in gene expression in all three species [cow 12.7-fold (n = 3), fur seal 15.4-fold (n = 1), tammar 2.4-fold (n = 4)] at periods of increased milk protein production. This compliments previous reports that folate is important for milk protein synthesis and suggests FOLR1 may be a key regulatory point of folate metabolism for milk protein synthesis within mammary epithelial cells (lactocytes). These data may have important implications for the dairy industry to develop strategies to increase milk protein production in cows. This study illustrates the potential of comparative genomics to target genes of interest to the scientific community.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the CRC for Co-operative Research of Innovative Dairy Products, Dairy Australia, and the Geoffrey Gardiner Foundation. The assistance of Herman Oosthuizen, John Arnould, and colleagues in the collection of Cape fur seal tissue samples is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank the captain and crew of the MV Sardinops for logistical support without which this work could not have been conducted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia

    Karensa K. Menzies, Christophe Lefèvre, Julie A. Sharp & Kevin R. Nicholas

  2. Institute of Technology Research and Innovation, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, 3217, Australia

    Karensa K. Menzies, Christophe Lefèvre, Julie A. Sharp & Kevin R. Nicholas

  3. Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3080, Australia

    Christophe Lefèvre

  4. School of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia

    Christophe Lefèvre & Keith L. Macmillan

  5. CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Reprogen, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales, 2570, Australia

    Paul A. Sheehy

Authors
  1. Karensa K. Menzies
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  2. Christophe Lefèvre
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  3. Julie A. Sharp
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  4. Keith L. Macmillan
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  5. Paul A. Sheehy
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  6. Kevin R. Nicholas
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Correspondence to Karensa K. Menzies.

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Menzies, K.K., Lefèvre, C., Sharp, J.A. et al. A novel approach identified the FOLR1 gene, a putative regulator of milk protein synthesis. Mamm Genome 20, 498–503 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-009-9207-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-009-9207-4

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