Post translational modification in milk from cloned cattle

The association between food and health is well established and recent studies have shown that modifiable risk factors seem to be of greater significance for health than previously anticipated. Prevention of disease may in the future be just as important as treatment of diseases. Indeed, many consumers are highly aware of health-properties of food, and the market for healthy food and food with special health benefits is increasing. Cloning could provide animals with a better quality of meat and other products, such as dairy, offering the possibility of creating strains of animals with increased disease resistance or other better quality. The US Food and Drug Administration has just approved the use of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs, and goats and from the offspring of clones of any species traditionally used as food. Aim of this study is to evaluate possible differences between proteomic profiles, in particular post translational modifications (PTM), in milk coming from cloned and non cloned cattle in order to verify safety of this food. Our results have not been shown critical differences between proteins of milk coming from cloned and not cloned cattle, either expression or in the post translational modifications. Lack of differences between these type of milks, if will be confirmed on other animals, should permit to use ‘cloned’ milk in human feeding.