August 04, 2022

Interpretive Summary: Poor maternal diet during gestation alters offspring muscle proteome in sheep

Interpretive Summary: Poor maternal diet during gestation alters offspring muscle proteome in sheep

By: Sarah A Reed, Jeremy Balsbaugh, Xiaomeng Li, Timothy E Moore, Amanda K Jones, Sambhu M Pillai, Maria L Hoffman, Kristen E Govoni, Steven A Zinn

Poor maternal diet during gestation results in changes in body composition and metabolism in the offspring. Here, we demonstrate that over- and restricted-feeding during gestation alter global protein expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle of offspring during gestation and just after birth. These protein changes are related to protein synthesis and degradation, stress responses, metabolism, and oxidative stress. Proteins related to the initiation of protein translation were increased in offspring of over-fed dams at mid-gestation, while changes in abundance of enzymes associated with metabolism were altered in late gestation and just after birth. In offspring of restricted-fed ewes, proteins relating to cell signaling were increased at mid-gestation, while again, changes in late gestation and birth were related to metabolism, protein degradation, and stress responses. Together, these may provide a mechanism by which poor maternal diet during gestation alters the poor growth and development that occurs in these offspring.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science