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Correspondence to Author: Dr. Jia Hongchen. 

State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.

Abstract:

Horse milk is a highly valuable organic food that is a promising alternative to cow milk, whereas studies of horse milk and its protein constitution remain unclear. A comparative proteomic analysis of milk among cow, goat, camel and horse was developed. The composition of milk varied among four types of milk and horse milk contained the highest amounts of functional whey proteins. GO enrichment analysis showed that the proteins related to proteolysis, degradation and catalysis were highly expressed in horse milk compared to other three types of milk, resulting in easier assimilation and palatability. KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that the horse milk contained abundant antimicrobial proteins relevant to shigellosis, salmonella infection, pathogenic Escherichia coli infection, leading to the decreased risk of pathogenic diseases. Higher accumulation of proteins related to caffeine metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis in horse milk contributed to the flavor and taste of horse milk. Meanwhile, we also found that highly expressed proteins in horse milk were closely related to PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways, which suggested that horse milk could promote the immune response by interacting with both pathways. Importantly, we identified four highly expressed antimicrobial proteins in horse milk including PGL, B2M, CD14 and PGL, which conferred direct inhibitory effect to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that exogenous treatment of PGL could inhibit growth of P. aeruginosa and E. coli by repressing the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Overall, our results highlighted the advantages of horse milk about immune enhancement and nutrient composition compared to cow, goat and camel milk. These findings contributed to a better comprehension of horse milk and expected to provide valuable insights for its promotion.

Keywords:horse milk; camel milk; goat milk; cow milk; proteomics; bowel disease; immune resistance

Citation:

Dr. Jia Hongchen, Dissection of proteome and transcriptome reveals advantages for antifungal activity and immunocompetence in horse milk. Journal of Biosciences and Bioengineering 2024.