Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns, and is rich in immunological components. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are present in various body fluids and are selectively packaged inside exosomes. Exosomes are membranous vesicles of endocytic origin that are found in various body fluids and that can mediate intercellular communication. These exosomal miRNAs could be actively delivered into recipient cells, and could regulate target gene expression and recipient cell function.

A team led by researchers at Sichuan Agricultural University has performed next-gen sequencing studies both on human and porcine miRNAs in breast milk exosomes.

They analyzed the lactation-related miRNA expression profiles in porcine milk exosomes across the entire lactation period (newborn to 28 days after birth) and found that immune related miRNAs are present and enriched in breast milk exosomes1. In Human breast milk the team found that, out of 87 well-characterized immune-related pre-miRNAs, 59 (67.82%) are presented and enriched in breast milk exosomes2.

In both studies, the researchers demonstrated that, compared with exogenous synthetic miRNAs, these endogenous immune-related miRNAs are more resistant to relatively harsh conditions.

It is, therefore, tempting to speculate that these immune related miRNA-loaded exosomes in breast milk may be transferred into the infant body via the digestive tract. These observations are a prelude to in-depth investigations of the essential roles of breast milk in the development of the infant’s immune system.

 

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Reference

  • Gu Y, Li M, Wang T, Liang Y, Zhong Z, Wang X, Zhou Q, Chen L, Lang Q, He Z, Chen X, Gong J, Gao X, Li X, Lv X. (2012) Lactation-Related MicroRNA Expression Profiles of Porcine Breast Milk Exosomes. PLoS ONE 7(8): e43691. [article]
  • Zhou Q, Li M, Wang X, Li Q, Wang T, Zhu Q, Zhou X, Wang X, Gao X, Li X. (2012) Immune-related microRNAs are abundant in breast milk exosomes. Int J Biol Sc 8(1), 118-23. [article]