Abstract
Abstract Proper maternal nutrition during gestation is an important determinant of fetal and long-term developmental programming. Transcriptional networks involved in economically important processes such as adipogenesis and overall growth of the offspring are particularly susceptible to developmental perturbations and programming. Low quality forages or insufficient maternal nutrient supplementation during gestation are scenarios that can negatively affect fetal growth and development by altering the regulation of these networks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of maternal nutrient restriction during mid-to-late gestation on mRNA expression of genes involved in growth and adipogenesis in fetal back fat (BF), and perirenal adipose tissue (PR). A total of six multiparous, commercial cows were equally divided into one of two dietary treatments: Control (CON; fed 100% of NRC recommendations) vs. Restricted Feed (RES; fed 60% of NRC recommendations) from 140 to 240 days of gestation. The animals were euthanized on day 240 of gestation for fetal tissue collection and qPCR analysis using TaqMan® gene expression assays. Relative mRNA quantification was determined using the Delta-Delta Ct method. Differences between Least Square Means were compared using the PDIFF option of the MIXED procedure of SAS (9.4). PPARg expression was increased (P = 0.009) in BF tissue in the RES group compared to the CON group. IGF-1 expression tended to increase (P = 0.076), and IGF-1R expression tended to decrease (P = 0.055) in fetal BF. In PR tissue, CEBPA and IGF-1 expression decreased (P ≤ 0.043) in RES compared to CON. These findings suggest that as a result of a compromised fetal environment, the PR and BF depots are differentially regulated in a manner that may persist into postnatal life and warrants further investigation.
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