Proteomic and Transcriptomic Profiling Revealed Vital Molecular Events in the Transition from Goat Colostrum to Mature Milk

As an important nutrient source in large areas of the
world, goat
milk is favored by more and more consumers; however, the composition,
nutritional value, and regulation mechanism of goat milk are not fully
characterized. Mammary gland development is as important as detailed
annotation of protein composition to address the physiological and
nutritional values of goat milk. In the present study, 4353 colostrum
and mature goat milk proteins were identified. The abundance of 118
proteins was significantly different between colostrum and mature
milk proteins. Our results indicate that the milk protein changes
were associated with a network of mammary gene expression changes;
importantly, the prime factors include enhanced mammary growth/development,
decreased protein translation, attenuated protein folding, and lower
lip/carbohydrate metabolism. The present study provides insights into
the changes in mammary metabolisms during the transition from colostrum
to mature milk, which can help deeply explore the difference and regulation
mechanism of active milk protein in colostrum and mature milk and
provide references for the identification and functional study of
bioactive milk proteins in colostrum.