Transcriptome Profiling of lncRNA in Mammary Tissue of Dairy Cows With Escherichia coli ‐Induced Mastitis

Mastitis in dairy cows is a complex disease regulated by a series of gene networks. However, the expression patterns and molecular roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the mammary glands of mastitic dairy cows remain unclear. In this study, an Escherichia coli (E. coli)-induced mastitis model was established, and RNA-seq was employed to profile lncRNA expression and identify differentially expressed genes in the mammary glands of healthy and E. coli-induced mastitis dairy cows. A total of 44 up-regulated and 111 down-regulated differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) were identified in the mammary tissues of E. coli-induced mastitis dairy cows compared to healthy controls. Functional annotation and interaction network analysis revealed that eight DE-lncRNAs (TCONS_00077660, TCONS_00020252, TCONS_00042123, TCONS_00104816, TCONS_00111594, TCONS_00057669, TCONS_00084031, and TCONS_00076361) were predicted to be associated with 61 miRNAs and nine mRNAs (BOLA, PPP3R1, MAPKAPK2, NECTIN2, C3AR1, JSP.1, SERPINF2, ITGAM, and PIM1), potentially providing insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with mastitis. These findings enhance our understanding of the molecular regulatory network underlying dairy cow mastitis and provide a theoretical foundation for future molecular breeding and biotherapeutic strategies for mastitis prevention and treatment.