Search

In bovine milk, fat globules (MFG) have a heterogeneous size distribution with diameters ranging from 0.1 to 15 µm. Although efforts have been made to explain differences in lipid composition, little is known about the protein composition of MFG membranes (MFGM) in different sizes of MFG. In this study, protein and lipid analyses were combined to study MFG formation and secretion. Two different sized MFG fractions (7.6±0.9 µm and 3.3±1.2 µm) were obtained by centrifugation. The protein composition of MFGM in the large and small MFG fractions was compared using mass-spectrometry-based proteomics techniques. The lipid composition and fatty acid composition of MFG was determined using HPLC-evaporative light-scattering detector and gas chromatography, respectively. Two frequently studied proteins in lipid droplet biogenesis, perilipin-2 and TIP47, were increased in the large and small MFG fractions, respectively. In the large MFG fraction, besides perilipin-2, cytoplasmic vesicle proteins (heat shock proteins, 14-3-3 proteins, and Rabs), microfilaments and intermediate filament-related proteins (actin and vimentin), host defense proteins (cathelicidins), and phosphatidylinositol were higher in concentration. On the other hand, cholesterol synthesis enzymes [lanosterol synthase and sterol-4-α-carboxylate 3-dehydrogenase (decarboxylating)], cholesterol, unsaturated fatty acids, and phosphatidylethanolamine were, besides TIP47, higher in concentration in the small MFG fraction. These results suggest that vesicle proteins, microfilaments and intermediate filaments, cholesterol, and specific phospholipids play an important role in lipid droplet growth, secretion, or both. The observations from this study clearly demonstrated the difference in protein and lipid composition between small and large MFG fractions. Studying the role of these components in more detail in future experiments may lead to a better understanding of fat globule formation and secretion., (Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We examined the effects of concentrate-to-forage ratio in dairy cow rations on milk-fat composition, with a specific focus on the structure of milk fat globules (MFG). Twenty-four Holstein cows, 153 d in milk, were assigned to 2 dietary treatments in a crossover design study. Treatments were (1) high-concentrate (65%), low-forage (35%; HCLF) diet and (2) low-concentrate (35%), high-forage (65%; LCHF) diet. The mean diameter of the MFG; plasma concentrations of insulin, glucose, and nonesterified fatty acids (FA); and the composition and concentrations of milk FA and polar lipids were determined. Concentrations of insulin were 56% higher, and those of nonesterified FA 46% lower, in the HCLF than in the LCHF diet. The milk yield was 8.5 kg/d higher and yields of fat, protein, and lactose were 180, 350, and 403 g/d higher, respectively, in the HCLF versus LCHF diet. Milk FA composition differed between treatments, with 1.5 and 1.0 percentage units higher saturated and polyunsaturated FA concentrations, respectively, in the HCLF versus LCHF diet. Mean MFG diameter tended to be smaller (0.2 μm) in the HCLF diet than in the LCHF diet, associated with increased daily phospholipids yield (34%), lower phosphatidylserine and higher phosphatidylcholine concentrations. In conclusion, the decreased milk and fat yields in the LCHF diet were associated with remodeling of the MFG membrane and with the secretion of larger MFG. Membrane remodeling of the mammary epithelium membranes seems to play a role in regulating MFG size., (Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)