Thermotolerance capabilities, blood metabolomics, and mammary gland hemodynamics and transcriptomic profiles of slick-haired Holstein cattle during mid lactation in Puerto Rico

Holstein cattle carrying a prolactin receptor gene mutation (SLICK) exhibit short and sleek hair coats (shorthaired Holstein [SLK]) enhancing thermotolerance and productivity compared with wild type-haired Holstein (WT) under tropical conditions. The objectives were to unravel the physiological and molecular mechanisms that confer an advantage to this slick genotype in Puerto Rico and determine potential correlations between metabolites and physiological variables. At 160 +/- 3 DIM we compared vaginal temperatures (VT) and voluntary solar radiation exposure (VSRE) during 48 h between 9 SLK and 9 WT Holsteins, whereas a subsample of 7 SLK and 7 WT were used to assess udder skin temperature, mammary gland hemodynamics and transcriptomics, and blood plasma untargeted metabolomics at a single time point. The SLK cattle showed lower VT throughout the day and greater VSRE at 1000 h and 1100 h compared with their WT counterparts. Total mammary blood flow (MBF) was greater in SLK Holsteins compared with WT. The metabolite 9-nitrooctadecenoic acid was identified as a potential biomarker for MBF; moreover, SLK cattle had greater amounts of this metabolite in their plasma. Prostaglandin D2 synthase ( PTGS ) was upregulated in the slick mammary gland, while plasma prostaglandin D2 was positively correlated with milk yield and increased in SLK Holsteins compared with WT. Interestingly, the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway was enriched in the mammary gland transcriptome and perturbed in the blood metabolome in the SLK Holsteins. In conclusion, SLK Holsteins exhibited lower body temperatures, greater VSRE, enhanced blood supply to the mammary gland, and alterations in genes and metabolites involved in arachidonic acid metabolism at the mammary gland and blood plasma. The usage of the SLK Holstein cattle genetics in dairy operations could be a feasible alternative to mitigate the adverse consequences of heat stress.