Methionine supply during the peripartum period and early lactation alter immunometabolic gene expression in cytological smear and endometrial tissue of holstein cows

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of feeding rumen-protected methionine (RPM) during the peripartal period and early lactation on mRNA gene expression profiles of uterine cytological smear and endometrial samples of Holstein cows (n = 20). Treatments consisted of a supplementation with RPM [MET; n = 11; RPM at a rate of 0.08 % of DM: Lys:Met = 2.8:1, (Smartamine® M Adisseo, Alpharetta, GA, USA)] and no supplementation (CON; n = 9; Lys:Met = 3.5:1). Uterine cytology smears and endometrial samples were collected at 15, 30, and 73 days in milk (DIM) and analyzed for expression of genes related with metabolism, inflammation, and methionine metabolism. Regarding the cytological smear samples, RPM supplementation tended to increase mRNA expression of methionine adenosyltransferase 1 alpha (MAT1A) and increased the mRNA expression of fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7), with an effect of time for the latter. On the other hand, RPM decreased mRNA expression for glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), prostaglandin E synthase 3 (PTGES3), translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), mucin 1 (MUC1) and superoxide dismutase (SOD1) in cytological smear samples. There was an effect of time for all variables except MAT1A, with decreasing expression over time. There was a TRT × TIME interaction for GLUT4 mRNA expression, with higher GLUT4 mRNA expression for cows fed CON than for cows fed RPM at time 15 and a tendency to higher expression for cows fed CON on time 30 when compared with cows fed RPM. For uterine tissue samples, feeding RPM increased the mRNA expression of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine hydrolase (SAAH), FGF7, GLUT4, and apolipoproteins 3 (APOL3), with an effect of time for APOL3 where its expression increased over time. There was a tendency for cows fed RPM to have decreased IL1β mRNA expression. In conclusion, feeding RPM during transition period and early lactation is beneficial for uterine immune response and metabolism in early lactation as indicated by the favorable expressions of genes affecting the uterine immunometabolism during such a challenging period.