Lactose synthesis in the rat, and the effects of litter size and malnutrition.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wilde CJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC1161306 | biostudies-other | 1979 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:Fatty pigs are characterized by a thrifty genotype, adapted to harsh environments based on changes in metabolism and energy saving. Thus, we hypothesized that feto-maternal energy partitioning in large litters might have postnatal effects that might be independent of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) processes. Hence, the current work reported the influence of two effects on postnatal performance and carcass and meat quality of purebred Iberian pigs: (a) the effects of the number of piglets in the litter (high vs. low litter size), and (b) the effects of birthweight (low (LBW) vs. normal (NBW)) in large litters. The results confirmed that NBW piglets born in large litters had differences in developmental patterns of weight, back-fat deposition, and fatty acid (FA) composition when compared to NBW piglets from small litters. These results were different from those found in LBW piglets when compared to their NBW counterparts, which showed an initial asymmetrical growth and altered muscle FA composition at slaughtering. The assessment of FA composition indicated better metabolic status in NBW piglets from large litters than in LBW piglets. These data support the concept that the prenatal environment, even when the individual may cope with it, inescapably affects postnatal life.
| S-EPMC7278408 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Litter size has increased and farrowing duration has also prolonged in recent years. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of litter size and parity on farrowing duration (FAR) to estimate the possibility of selecting a short farrowing duration. We recorded 32,200 parturitions of 8420 Landrace × Yorkshire sows, determined farrowing duration, litter size, parity, gestation length. Results showed that total number of born (TNB) and parity obeyed a cubic (p = 0.0004, p = 0.004) relationship while number born alive (NBA) and number born dead (NBD) obeyed a linear (p = 0.0239, p = 0.0035) relationship with FAR. Gestation length obeyed a linear (p = 0.02) relationship with FAR. FAR of sows with stillbirth was longer than that of sows without stillbirth. Stillbirth rate increased rapidly from about 2% to 4%, especially when FAR was over 240 min. FAR gradually prolonged with the parities. FAR of 7th parity sows was longer than that of 1st~6th parity sows (p < 0.05), but different parity sows had little difference in the same FAR interval except for gilts. Results indicated it was possible and necessary to consider FAR into pig breeding without worrying about decreasing of live litter size or negative effect of parity if FAR was shorter than 300 min.
| S-EPMC8749871 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We analysed effects of females' body mass and age on reproductive capacity of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in a large sample set of 1312 females (305 yearlings and 1007 adults), hunted throughout Slovenia, central Europe, in the period 2013-2015. Body mass positively affected probability of ovulation and potential litter size (number of corpora lutea), although its effect was more pronounced in yearlings than in adults. Between age groups, we found clear differences in responses of both reproductive parameters to body mass which influences primarily reproductive performance of younger, and in particular, lighter individuals: at the same body mass yearlings would at average have smaller litters than adults, and at lower body mass also young to middle-aged adults would have smaller litters than old ones. In addition, while yearlings have to reach a critical threshold body mass to attain reproductive maturity, adult females are fertile (produce ova) even at low body mass. However, at higher body mass also younger individuals shift their efforts into the reproduction, and after reaching an age-specific threshold the body mass does not have any further effects on the reproductive output of roe deer females. Increased reproductive capacity at more advanced age, combined with declining body mass suggests that old does allocate more of their resources in reproduction than in body condition.
| S-EPMC5389817 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLactose, as the primary osmotic component in milk, is the major determinant of milk volume. Glucose is the primary precursor of lactose. However, the effect of glucose on lactose synthesis in dairy cow mammary glands and the mechanism governing this process are poorly understood.ResultsHere we showed that glucose has the ability to induce lactose synthesis in dairy cow mammary epithelial cells, as well as increase cell viability and proliferation. A concentration of 12 mM glucose was the optimum concentration to induce cell growth and lactose synthesis in cultured dairy cow mammary epithelial cells. In vitro, 12 mM glucose enhanced lactose content, along with the expression of genes involved in glucose transportation and the lactose biosynthesis pathway, including GLUT1, SLC35A2, SLC35B1, HK2, β4GalT-I, and AKT1. In addition, we found that AKT1 knockdown inhibited cell growth and lactose synthesis as well as expression of GLUT1, SLC35A2, SLC35B1, HK2, and β4GalT-I.ConclusionsGlucose induces cell growth and lactose synthesis in dairy cow mammary epithelial cells. Protein kinase B alpha acts as a regulator of metabolism in dairy cow mammary gland to mediate the effects of glucose on lactose synthesis.
| S-EPMC4880877 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An analysis of litter size and average piglet weight at birth in Landrace and Yorkshire using a standard two-trait mixed model (SMM) and a recursive mixed model (RMM) is presented. The RMM establishes a one-way link from litter size to average piglet weight. It is shown that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the parameters of SMM and RMM and that they generate equivalent likelihoods. As parameterized in this work, the RMM tests for the presence of a recursive relationship between additive genetic values, permanent environmental effects, and specific environmental effects of litter size, on average piglet weight. The equivalent standard mixed model tests whether or not the covariance matrices of the random effects have a diagonal structure. In Landrace, posterior predictive model checking supports a model without any form of recursion or, alternatively, a SMM with diagonal covariance matrices of the three random effects. In Yorkshire, the same criterion favors a model with recursion at the level of specific environmental effects only, or, in terms of the SMM, the association between traits is shown to be exclusively due to an environmental (negative) correlation. It is argued that the choice between a SMM or a RMM should be guided by the availability of software, by ease of interpretation, or by the need to test a particular theory or hypothesis that may best be formulated under one parameterization and not the other.
| S-EPMC2147959 | biostudies-other
Project description:ScopeOsteoporosis poses a health challenge especially for postmenopausal women. This study aims to explore nutritional strategies to counteract bone demineralization in ovarierectomized (OVX) rats.Methods and resultsOVX rats (n = 49) are fed with one of six different diets, where two different calcium sources (dairy calcium or calcium carbonate) are provided alone or in combination with either inulin (5%) or lactose (0.5%). In addition, a calcium-deficient diet is included. Calcium supplementation increases intestinal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the abundance of fecal Acinetobacter and Propionibacterium. Accompanied with these effects, rats fed with calcium-fortified diets have higher bone mineral density, bone mineral content and femur mechanical strength, lower serum levels of bone markers, and lower expression of calcium absorption-related genes (transient receptor potential vanilloid type 6 (TRPV6), calcium-binding protein (CaBP) compared with control. Inulin supplementation results in a markedly increased production of intestinal SCFAs, a decreased intestinal pH, an increased abundance of Allobaculum and Bifidobacterium, and an increased expression of Trpv6. Inulin and lactose show beneficial effects on spine bone.ConclusionCalcium modulates gut microbiome composition and function. A pronounced effect of inulin on metabolic activity in the gastrointestinal tract is evident, and lactose supplementation decreases jejunal pH that might be associated with slightly enhanced bone mineralization.
| S-EPMC9287054 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLactose synthesis rate is an important factor in milk production and quality in mammals. Understanding the lactose synthesis mechanism is crucial for the improvement of milk quantity and quality. However, research on the temporal gene changes regarding lactose synthesis during the whole lactation is still limited. The objective of this study was to determine gene expression profiles related to lactose synthesis in sows during lactation, and further identify the critical steps or key factors in the lactose synthesis pathway.MethodsTo determine the temporal change of factors related to lactose synthesis in sows, milk from eight multiparous Yorkshire sows (parity 3 to 6) was collected at 0 h, 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, day 2, 3, 4, 7, 14, and 21 after birth of the first piglet. Lactose content, prolactin and progesterone concentration, and gene or protein expression related to lactose synthesis were measured.ResultsThe lactose yield increased gradually from D2 to D21 and reached a maximum at D14 (3-fold from D2) during lactation (P < 0.05). A similar trend was observed in IGF-1 and insulin concentrations in milk, both of which were greatest at D3 with a subsequent decrease during middle to late lactation. Conversely, milk prolactin and progesterone concentrations moderately decreased with the progression of lactation. The mRNA or protein expressions related to glucose transportation (GLUT1), glucose-galactose interconversion (HK1 and UGP2), UDP-galactose transportation (SLC35A2), and lactose synthetase (LALBA and B4GALT1) in the lactose synthesis pathway were significantly upregulated during early to middle lactation and plateaued by late lactation (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThese novel findings suggest that the increased lactose synthesis in lactation was related to the coordinated upregulation of genes or enzymes in the lactose synthesis pathway, and glucose transportation (GLUT1) and lactose synthetase (LALBA and B4GALT1) might be the critical steps in the lactose synthesis pathway of sows during lactation.
| S-EPMC6001073 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Biparental care of offspring occurs in diverse mammalian genera and is particularly common among species with socially monogamous mating systems. Despite numerous well-documented examples, however, the evolutionary causes and consequences of paternal care in mammals are not well understood. Here, we investigate the evolution of paternal care in relation to offspring production. Using comparative analyses to test for evidence of evolutionary associations between male care and life-history traits, we explore if biparental care is likely to have evolved because of the importance of male care to offspring survival, or if evolutionary increases in offspring production are likely to result from the evolution of biparental care. Overall, we find no evidence that paternal care has evolved in response to benefits of supporting females to rear particularly costly large offspring or litters. Rather, our findings suggest that increases in offspring production are more likely to follow the evolution of paternal care, specifically where males contribute depreciable investment such as provisioning young. Through coevolution with litter size, we conclude that paternal care in mammals is likely to play an important role in stabilizing monogamous mating systems and could ultimately promote the evolution of complex social behaviours.
| S-EPMC4855383 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Bamei mutton sheep is a Chinese domestic sheep breed developed by crossing German Mutton Merino sheep and indigenous Mongolian sheep for meat production. Here, we focused on detecting candidate genes associated with the increasing of the litter size in this breeds under recent artificial selection to improve the efficiency of mutton production. We selected five high- and five low-fecundity Bamei mutton sheep for whole-genome resequencing to identify candidate genes for sheep prolificacy. We used the FST and XP-EHH statistical approach to detect the selective sweeps between these two groups. Combining the two selective sweep methods, the reproduction-related genes JUN, ITPR3, PLCB2, HERC5, and KDM4B were detected. JUN, ITPR3, and PLCB2 play vital roles in GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), oxytocin, and estrogen signaling pathway. Moreover, KDM4B, which had the highest FST value, exhibits demethylase activity. It can affect reproduction by binding the promoters of estrogen-regulated genes, such as FOXA1 (forkhead box A1) and ESR1 (estrogen receptor 1). Notably, one nonsynonymous mutation (p.S936A) specific to the high-prolificacy group was identified at the TUDOR domain of KDM4B. These observations provide a new opportunity to research the genetic variation influencing fecundity traits within a population evolving under artificial selection. The identified genomic regions that are responsible for litter size can in turn be used for further selection.
| S-EPMC7827510 | biostudies-literature