Expression of milk miRNA during the lactation cycle of the marsupial tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

High throughput sequencing of miRNAs collected from tammar milk at different time points of lactation showed high levels of miRNA secreted in milk and allowed the identification of differentially expressed milk miRNAs during the lactation cycle as putative markers of mammary gland activity and functional candidate signals to assist growth and timed development of the young. Comparative analysis of miRNA distribution in milk and blood serum suggests that milk miRNAs are primarily expressed from mammary gland rather than transferred from maternal circulating blood, likely through a new putative exosomal secretory pathway. Overall design: 8 profiles were produced. Duplicates of day175