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PreprintCC BYbioRxiv

Urea is a dynamic and functional component of mammalian breast milk

  • L. Veerus
  • H. Sun
  • A. A. Almet
  • E. R. Levin
  • R. R. Battaje
  • V. S. Dam
  • D. Shah
  • R. Clerk
  • B. Chang
  • M. A. Woortman
  • J. E. Stuckey
  • M. J. Shumaker
13 more authors
  • Y. S. Yin
  • A. Kundu
  • M. Talaue-Weeast
  • V. Cardenas
  • D. D. Nyangahu
  • H. B. Jaspan
  • M. Manhart
  • Q. Nie
  • E. Barrett
  • L. N. Nejsum
  • M. G. Dominguez-Bello
  • M. J. Blaser1
  • New Jersey Kids Study team
  1. 1Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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Abstract

Urea is a constituent of human milk, yet its regulation and interactions with the infant gut microbiome have not been established. Combining three human cohorts, a mouse model, and microbiome analyses, we show that milk urea increases across lactation, is conserved across mammals, and is not explained by maternal serum urea or diet. Instead, we identify lactation-dependent remodeling of mammary urea metabolism and transport, including dynamic epithelial AQP3 localization consistent with regulated urea transfer into milk. Alongside urea, maternal milk and stool provide reservoirs of urea-metabolizing bacteria that help establish the infant "ureabiome", with encoded urea-utilization capacity. This maternal-infant axis is context-dependent: infant formulas provide higher urea levels than human milk, while functional assays show that urea supports both commensal and opportunistic bacteria in a concentration-dependent manner. Together, these findings define a maternal nitrogen axis linking milk urea to infant gut microbiome assembly and function.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{veerus2026urea,
  title = {{Urea is a dynamic and functional component of mammalian breast milk}},
  author = {L. Veerus and H. Sun and A. A. Almet and E. R. Levin and R. R. Battaje and V. S. Dam and D. Shah and R. Clerk and B. Chang and M. A. Woortman and J. E. Stuckey and M. J. Shumaker and Y. S. Yin and A. Kundu and M. Talaue-Weeast and V. Cardenas and D. D. Nyangahu and H. B. Jaspan and M. Manhart and Q. Nie and E. Barrett and L. N. Nejsum and M. G. Dominguez-Bello and M. J. Blaser and New Jersey Kids Study team},
  howpublished = {bioRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.09.28.755206},
  url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.28.755206v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Urea is a dynamic and functional component of mammalian breast milk
AU  - L. Veerus
AU  - H. Sun
AU  - A. A. Almet
AU  - E. R. Levin
AU  - R. R. Battaje
AU  - V. S. Dam
AU  - D. Shah
AU  - R. Clerk
AU  - B. Chang
AU  - M. A. Woortman
AU  - J. E. Stuckey
AU  - M. J. Shumaker
AU  - Y. S. Yin
AU  - A. Kundu
AU  - M. Talaue-Weeast
AU  - V. Cardenas
AU  - D. D. Nyangahu
AU  - H. B. Jaspan
AU  - M. Manhart
AU  - Q. Nie
AU  - E. Barrett
AU  - L. N. Nejsum
AU  - M. G. Dominguez-Bello
AU  - M. J. Blaser
AU  - New Jersey Kids Study team
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/28
PB  - bioRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.09.28.755206
UR  - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.28.755206v1
AB  - Urea is a constituent of human milk, yet its regulation and interactions with the infant gut microbiome have not been established. Combining three human cohorts, a mouse model, and microbiome analyses, we show that milk urea increases across lactation, is conserved across mammals, and is not explained by maternal serum urea or diet. Instead, we identify lactation-dependent remodeling of mammary urea metabolism and transport, including dynamic epithelial AQP3 localization consistent with regulated urea transfer into milk. Alongside urea, maternal milk and stool provide reservoirs of urea-metabolizing bacteria that help establish the infant "ureabiome", with encoded urea-utilization capacity. This maternal-infant axis is context-dependent: infant formulas provide higher urea levels than human milk, while functional assays show that urea supports both commensal and opportunistic bacteria in a concentration-dependent manner. Together, these findings define a maternal nitrogen axis linking milk urea to infant gut microbiome assembly and function.
ER  -