Colostrum and milk protein rankings and ratios of importance to neonatal calf health using a proteomics approach

Abstract

Administration of colostrum to the newborn calf before gut closure is pivotal to its health, because of the transfer of passive immunity. Traditionally, passive immunity has been attributed to the transfer of immunoglobulins although it is increasingly clear that multiple other factors contribute, including innate immune proteins, developmental factors, immunomodulatory factors, and the presence of cellular immunity. The objective of this study was to produce a comprehensive comparison of the bovine colostrum proteome and the milk proteome by applying 2-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Further, the objectives were to rank proteins mutually and generate protein ratios from the spectral counts of the 2 proteomes and ELISA to gain insight into which proteins could be of most relevance to neonatal calf health. To obtain an in-depth picture of the bovine colostrum and milk proteome, we compared the contents of different fractions from bovine colostrum and milk from our 2 previous studies. A total of 140 colostrum fluid-phase proteins and 103 milk fluid-phase proteins were detected. In the cellular fraction, 324 and 310 proteins were detected in colostrum and milk, respectively. In total, 514 proteins were detected, of which 162 were in the fluid phase. Of these, 50 proteins were exclusively seen in colostrum, 13 were exclusively seen in milk, and 99 were common to colostrum and milk. Ranking of proteins mutually and calculating protein ratios based on spectral counts and ELISA resulted in new information on how proteins were associated with the fluid or cellular fraction of the samples. Interestingly, despite lower counts/concentrations than the classical proteins such as immunoglobulins, β-lactoglobulin, and lactotransferrin, several proteins appeared in higher or similar colostrum:milk spectral count ratios as these. Using this approach indicated, for example, that osteopontin, haptoglobin, milk amyloid A, and gelsolin may be interesting molecules to study in detail in their relation to calf health. Although the sensitivity, identification, and ranking of proteins varied between the 2 methods, and proteome analysis clearly suffers from low sensitivity, we believe that this idea and approach of generating ratios and ranking proteins can contribute new information and perspectives on how to prioritize the importance of multiple proteins, beyond immunoglobulins, in relation to neonatal calf health.

Effects of colostrum instead of formula feeding for the first 2 days postnatum on whole-body energy metabolism and its endocrine control in neonatal calves

“…Newborn calves rely on colostrum intake immediately after birth for nutrient supply and for establishing passive immunity (Quigley and Drewry, 1998;Barrington and Parish, 2001). In addition to its high content of nutrients and immunoglobulins, bovine colostrum contains high amounts of non-nutritive, biologically active substances, such as hormones and growth factors Blum and Baumrucker, 2008;Nissen et al, 2017), which may have local and systemic effects on postnatal maturation in neonatal calves (Blum, 2006;Hammon et al, 2012;Ontsouka et al, 2016). Colostrum intake immediately after birth has a great effect on the intestinal development of the neonatal calf and supports nutrient absorption by the intestine (Roffler et al, 2003;Blum, 2006;Hammon et al, 2012).…”

Review: Importance of colostrum supply and milk feeding intensity on gastrointestinal and systemic development in calves

“…Colostrum supply and intestinal development and maturation Bovine colostrum provides newborn calves with high amounts of nutrient and non-nutrient biologically active substances (Blum and Baumrucker, 2008;Nissen et al, 2017). In addition to the great importance of colostral immunoglobulins for the passive immunity of neonatal calves (Barrington and Parish, 2001;Godden, 2008), colostrum contains a large number of immunomodulatory peptides that may also affect neonatal immune response (Chase et al, 2008;Stelwagen et al, 2009;Nissen et al, 2017). Some of these factors are provided by colostral immune cells that are involved in the establishment of local and systemic neonatal immunity (Liebler-Tenorio et al, 2002;Stelwagen et al, 2009;Langel et al, 2015).…”

“…Bovine colostrum has an overall importance for the postnatal development of the gut (Blum, 2006). The high concentrations of hormones, growth factors and cell-modulating factors in colostrum (Blum and Baumrucker, 2008;Nissen et al, 2017) stimulate villus growth of the small intestinal mucosa in calves (Blum, 2006;Steinhoff-Wagner et al, 2014). Colostrum feeding promotes mucosal cell growth and protein synthesis in the enterocytes of neonatal mammals (Donovan and Odle, 1994;Burrin et al, 1995;Xu, 1996).…”

Changes in the content of immunostimulating components of colostrum obtained from dairy cows at different levels of production

“…The administration of colostrum to the newborn calf before gut closure is pivotal to its health because of the transfer of passive immunity. 2 Quality standards for colostrum begin by measuring antibody levels. These levels vary greatly from cow to cow, based on many factors: age, season, breed, diet, milking, or leaking of milk prior to calving.…”

“…According to Cichosz and Czeczot, colostrum is a rich source both of immunoglobulins and growth factors such as insulin‐like growth factor, platelet‐derived growth factor, and epidermal growth factor, which act as stimulators and mediators in many processes occurring in cells. The administration of colostrum to the newborn calf before gut closure is pivotal to its health because of the transfer of passive immunity . Quality standards for colostrum begin by measuring antibody levels.…”