Transcriptional changes detected in fecal RNA from neonatal dairy calves of different breeds following gastrointestinal disease of varying severity

Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is a major health concern in preweaned dairy calves. The objective of this fixed cohort study was to use RNA isolated from preweaned Holstein and Jersey heifer calf feces to study the molecular adaptations to variable clinical GI disease. The study was conducted on a commercial calf ranch in the western U.S. Enrolled calves were assessed twice daily for variations in demeanor, milk intake, and hydration. Fecal consistency scores were recorded at enrollment (day 1), and on the day (day 10) that a fecal sample was collected for differential gene expression (DGE). Calves with diarrhea on either day were classified as having either uncomplicated, localized GI disease (scours), or systemic GI disease (systemic enteritis). Eighty-four calves’ fecal RNA was evaluated for DGE, of which 33 calves (n = 20 Holstein; n = 13 Jersey) were consistently healthy. The remaining 51 calves (n = 23 Holstein; n = 28 Jersey) experienced varying severity of GI disease during the sampling window. Genes of interest were related to the inflammatory response (i.e., IFNG, NFKB1, NOD2, TLR2, and TLR4) and cell membrane or cytoplasmic transport (i.e., AQP3, FABP2, KRT8 and SLC5A1). Breed-specific findings indicated that AQP3, IFNG, and TLR4 were upregulated in Holsteins with systemic enteritis, whereas KRT8 was downregulated in systemically affected Jerseys. Holsteins did not appear affected by scours aside from a tendency for DGE of toll-like receptors (TLRs) on the day of diarrhea. However, Jersey calves consistently demonstrated a tendency to upregulate IFNG, NFKB1, and TLR4 when affected with either scours or systemic enteritis. These findings were more pronounced in systemically affected Jersey calves and were observed as a delayed response to both scours and systemic enteritis. These findings support previous observations suggesting that Holstein calves may be better equipped than Jersey calves to rapidly fight pathogen invasion.