# Genetics and genomics of human breast milk composition

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2022 · $70,082

## Abstract

Project Summary
Breastfeeding plays a critical role in infant and maternal health; however, the components of milk underlying
the health effects of milk and consequences of variation in milk composition are not well understood. Except for
a few milk components, the role of maternal genetics in milk composition is largely unknown, limiting the
epidemiological tools available to tease apart the effects of variation in milk composition on infant and maternal
health. Thus, enhancing our understanding of the genetic and genomic basis of variation in milk composition is
critical for identifying the mechanisms linking breastfeeding to infant and maternal health outcomes. One such
outcome is the infant gut microbiome, for which breastfeeding is a primary determinant, with implications for
the nascent immune system and the child’s long-term metabolic health. This proposal contains a
comprehensive analysis of the molecular and cellular composition of breast milk, the effect of maternal
genetics on this composition, and the impact of host-microbiome interactions in milk on the infant gut
microbiome. The results will provide foundational data for advancing milk research and help advance our
knowledge of human nutrition during the critical first 1000 days of life. Three specific aims will address these
priorities by (1) applying single cell RNA-seq to assess the cellular composition of milk at two time points in
lactation, thus profiling changes in gene expression in the mammary gland across lactation and the maternal
immune cells that provide critical immune support to the neonate; (2) identifying genetic variants associated
with gene expression in milk (eQTLs) and cell type-eQTL interactions in milk; and (3) applying multi-omic data
integration to milk gene expression, the milk microbiome, and infant gut microbiome to uncover the biological
pathways underlying shared variation across these systems, and to assess the impact of maternal metabolic
health on these pathways. Each Aim will leverage cutting edge genomics techniques never previously applied
to human milk to expand our understanding of the genetic and genomic basis of milk composition. Research
will take place at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, a major research institution, with state-of-the-art
core facilities for genomics and clinical/translational research. The trainee will receive training in the biology of
milk and lactation, computational biology, human subjects research, and responsible conduct of research from
an interdisciplinary sponsorship team in the departments of Epidemiology & Community Health and Genetics,
Cell Biology and Development. This training plan will result in the trainee acquiring the skills and a scientific
foundation to launch her independent academic career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10406241
- **Project number:** 5F32HD105364-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** KELSEY ELIZABETH JOHNSON
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $70,082
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10406241

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10406241, Genetics and genomics of human breast milk composition (5F32HD105364-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10406241. Licensed CC0.

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