Dairy cow performance is associated with longitudinal microRNA profiles.

ABSTRACT: Modern high producing dairy cows are still affected by poor fertility and disease, despite improvements achieved through genetic selection programs. Additional biomarkers of health and performance traits in cattle could enhance animal welfare and profitability by allowing farmers to cull animals before problems occur. We performed pilot investigations of plasma microRNA (miRNA) profiles during early life as potential biomarkers associated with future performance in dairy cows. The latter included survival to two years of age, age at first calving, yield of milk, fat and protein, mastitis and lameness traits, conception rate, number of services per conception, and calving interval. Using qPCR, we obtained longitudinal measurements and ratios involving nine miRNAs (miR-126-3p, miR-127, miR-1

SUBMITTER: MacLeay M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12316255 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature