Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Cell Wall Biology and Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #411955
Research Project: Developing Strategies to Improve Dairy Cow Performance and Nutrient Use Efficiency with Nutrition, Genetics, and Microbiology

Location: Cell Wall Biology and Utilization Research

Title: Whole blood transcriptome and meta-transcriptome changes in transition cows

Author
item FREGULIA, PRISCILA - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Zanton, Geoffrey
item Li, Wenli

Submitted to: Ruminant Physiology International Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/14/2024
Publication Date: 8/26/2024
Citation: Fregulia, P., Zanton G., Li, W. 2024. Whole blood transcriptome and microbial abundance changes in transition cows [abstract]. International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology. Paper No. 26.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: During the transition period, dairy cows are faced with physiological changes including a weakened immune system and an increased inflammatory state. Blood cells express about 80% of the genes found in vital tissues and it can be used to monitor molecular markers related to metabolism regulation and immunity. Some functions of the immune system are depressed before calving, leading to various pathologies mainly evident after calving. We evaluated the combined effects of calving and diet change on the whole blood transcriptome and meta-transcriptome of dairy cows. Blood was collected from eight cannulated Holstein cows 14 days before their expected calving (-14), 2 days (+/- 1 day) postpartum (PP), and 14 days in milk (+14). Before calving, cows were fed a high forage close-up diet (containing 35.92% corn silage, 37.10% wheat straw, and 26.98% concentrate) and after calving they received a common lactation diet (31.67% BMR corn silage, 28.00% alfalfa silage, and 40.33% concentrate). Blood samples were collected from the tail vessels for transcriptome and meta-transcriptome analysis. We used Cufflinks for host differentially expressed gene analysis (DEG) and DAVID for Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. We identified 588 DEGs between -14 and PP, 545 between -14 and +14, and 295 between PP and +14. For GO enriched terms, the activated pathways in PP were mainly related to immunity (e.g. GO:0006953, GO:0042098, GO:0018101) and inflammation (GO:0006954). We observed no enriched pathways in -14 and +14. We observed an increased abundance of the genus Mycoplasma in PP (33% versus 7% in -14 and +14), a pathogen and opportunistic organism. The upregulation of inflammatory response pathways postpartum is consistent with the literature and occurs in response to the increased pathogenic abundance. The finding of no enriched pathways and decreased abundance of Mycoplasma in +14 suggests that the cows returned to homeostasis. Our study confirmed changes in immune responses and microbial composition in the whole blood of transition cows.