Research

Dutch Milk Genomics Initiative

Marleen Visker (2011)

The aim of the Dutch Milk Genomics Initiative is to identify genes that contribute to natural genetic variation in milk-quality traits, in particular milk-fat and milk-protein composition. The program provides tools for improved breeding programs to exploit natural genetic variation in milk-quality traits and contributes to the knowledge base needed for innovative dairy products. The Milk Genomics Initiative combines expertise in the fields of dairy science, quantitative genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. Read More

Annotation and curation of the first goat milk oligosaccharides library: from analytical characterization to health benefits

Daniela Barile (2011)

Free oligosaccharides are biomolecules that are present in human milk and provide benefits beyond essential nutrients. Numerous functional studies on human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) have concluded that these molecules perform important biological functions including the establishment of intestinal microbiota and prevention of pathogen binding to intestinal cells. Mammalian free milk oligosaccharides are commonly divided in two main groups based on their composition: neutral and acidic. Neutral oligosaccharides are composed of galactose (Gal), Glucose (Glc) N-Acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc), fucose (Fuc) and a lactose core; acidic oligosaccharides are characterized by these same monomers but also one molecule of N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NeuAc) and N-glycolyl neuraminic (NeuGc) are found. At present, the only source of milk oligosaccharides is human milk, which limits oligosaccharides research and practical applications. Because all the attempts to synthesize these molecules have failed to mimic the complexity and bioactivities of HMOs, much simpler structures are being used to supplement dietary products and infant formula. Recent studies have documented that these complex oligosaccharides are present in other mammalian milks, such as goat and bovine milk. This project constitutes the first comprehensive effort to profile and standardize the chemical structures and nomenclature of oligosaccharides present in goat milk (GMO). Read More

Biological pathways associated with lactation performance

Jerry Wei (2011)

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MamExp (MammoXpressionist): an interactive gene expression browser interface for collaborative comparative lactation genomics.

Christophe Lefèvre (2009-2011)

The increasing use of high throughput gene expression microarray analysis in lactation research is rapidly producing a large compendium of results on the expression of genes in the mammary tissue of an accruing number of species (bovine, mouse, human, seal, wallaby, monotremes…). Comparison of data from different species provides new opportunities to better understand the function of genes in the mammary gland and may ultimately lead to increased potential for applications to enhanced lactation in dairy cattle. The storage of mammary gene expression data, usually provided in a data exchange portal, does not allow the direct retrieval of gene expression lists or the comparison of lactation results from independent experiments or species. We are developing on-line facilities for the interrogation of gene expression data series and the reciprocal interspecies mapping of genes to facilitate the retrieval and visualization of gene expression data and the comparison of experimental results. Here, we propose to expand the database to include new data made available through the IMGC portal or otherwise made available in gene expression depository and enhance the functionality by customizing query interfaces and simplifying data upload. These developments will result in the provision of on-line data storage and retrieval interfaces for the interrogation and visualization of gene expression data related to mammary physiology and, will enable a more interactive comparative approach for the collaborative curation and analysis of microarray data. Read More

Role of miRNAs in mammary gland development and lactation

Palaniappan Ramanathan (2010)

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Enrichment analysis of transcription factors binding sites in blood cells in response to ingestion of bovine milk by healthy adult humans

Francina Sagaya (2010)

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Annotation and curation of the bovine milk oligosaccharides library by advanced Mass Spectrometry

Daniela Barile (2010)

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Milk's role in directing the infant microbiome

David Sela (2009)

This IMGC portal project disseminates B. infantis genes active on milk substrates encountered within the infant gut. Read More

An Integrated Lactome Dataset

Peter Williamson (2009)

The collective set of genes that contribute to the production of milk may be referred to as the “lactome”. This dataset is derived from analysis of multiple inbred mouse strains. The data includes links to electronic databases that provide detailed annotation for each element. Read More

Cow, Mouse, and Human Milk and Lactation Genome Browsers

Danielle Lemay (2009)

This highly valuable data resource includes milk protein genes, development stage-specific mammary genes, milk trait QTLs, milk trait candidate genes, statistically significant clusters of milk and mammary genes, and mammalian orthologs (human, mouse, rat, dog, opossum, platypus) of the bovine milk and mammary genes. Read More

Milk Oligosaccharides

Sean Crook (2009)

A list of PubMed abstracts that are relevant to milk oligosaccharides. Summaries of the abstracts focus on the oligosaccharide relevant information. Read More

Lactation genes, proteins, pathways, and networks

Danielle Lemay, Matthew Lange (2008)

The human, cow, and mouse lactation-related genes, the genomic locations of these genes, and their mammary-specific functions. - Excel spreadsheets of Lactation Gene Sets and functional annotations. - Gene KC's for genes which are known to be involved in mammary development, lactation, and/or responsible for the components within milk itself. Read More

The Milk Proteome

Danielle Lemay (2007)

A curation of proteomic data sets that define the protein composition of milk. Read More

Microarray data sets in lactation science

Danielle Lemay (2007)

A curation of microarray data sets from experiments relevant to lactation science. Read More