title: Prolonged transition time between colostrum and mature milk in a bear, the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca.
abstract: Bears produce the most altricial neonates of any placental mammal. We hypothesized that the transition from colostrum to mature milk in bears reflects a temporal and biochemical adaptation for altricial development and immune protection. Comparison of bear milks with milks of other eutherians yielded distinctive protein profiles. Proteomic and metabolomic analysis of serial milk samples collected from six giant pandas showed a prolonged transition from colostrum to main-phase lactation over approximately 30 days. Particularly striking are the persistence or sequential appearance of adaptive and innate immune factors. The endurance of immunoglobulin G suggests an unusual duration of trans-intestinal absorption of maternal antibodies, and is potentially relevant to the underdeveloped lymphoid system of giant panda neonates. Levels of certain milk oligosaccharides known to exert anti-microbial activities and/or that are conducive to the development of neonatal gut microbiomes underwent an almost complete changeover around days 20-30 postpartum, coincident with the maturation of the protein profile. A potential metabolic marker of starvation was detected, the prominence of which may reflect the natural postpartum period of anorexia in giant panda mothers. Early lactation in giant pandas, and possibly in other ursids, appears to be adapted for the unique requirements of unusually altricial eutherian neonates.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences , University of Glasgow , Graham err Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: The Sichuan Key Laboratory for Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife , Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , 1375 Panda Road, Northern Suburb, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610081, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: The Sichuan Key Laboratory for Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife , Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , 1375 Panda Road, Northern Suburb, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610081, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hairui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Sichuan Key Laboratory for Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife , Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , 1375 Panda Road, Northern Suburb, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610081, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhihe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The Sichuan Key Laboratory for Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife , Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , 1375 Panda Road, Northern Suburb, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610081, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences , University of Strathclyde , 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, UK.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences , University of Strathclyde , 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, UK.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation and Glasgow Polyomics, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences , University of Glasgow , Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G12 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Richard J S
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Burchmore
authors.affiliation: The Sichuan Key Laboratory for Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife , Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , 1375 Panda Road, Northern Suburb, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610081, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: I Kati
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Loeffler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences , University of Glasgow , Graham err Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Malcolm W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kennedy
keywords: Ailuropoda melanoleuca; colostrum; giant panda; milk; oligosaccharides; proteins