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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323228
Title: Potential metabolic pathways associated with differences in weight maintenance and gain in mature cow skeletal and adipose tissue

Author
item CUNNINGHAM, HANNAH - University Of Wyoming
item CAMMACK, K - University Of Wyoming
item AUSTIN, KATHLEEN - University Of Wyoming
item Freetly, Harvey
item Lindholm-Perry, Amanda

Submitted to: Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/16/2015
Publication Date: 12/20/2015
Citation: Cunningham, H.C., Cammack, K.M., Austin, K.J., Freetly, H.C., Lindholm-Perry, A.K. 2015. Potential metabolic pathways associated with differences in weight maintenance and gain in mature cow skeletal and adipose tissue. Plant & Animal Genome XXIV Conference, January 9-13, 2016, San Diego, CA. Poster P0270.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Feed costs are the greatest expenditure for beef cow operations. During the production year of a cow, the majority of nutrients are used to support maintenance. Differences in feedstuff utilization and metabolism can impact the ability of the cow to meet maintenance requirements. The objective of this research was to determine if cows that differ in efficiency of weight maintenance and weight gain differ in the relative abundance of transcripts for enzymes associated with protein turnover of skeletal muscle and lipid turnover of adipose tissue. Crossbred cows (n = 121) were feed restricted for 112 d followed by an ad libitum feeding period for 98 d. Individual feed intake was monitored and body weights were collected to estimate average daily gain (ADG). Adipose and muscle biopsies were collected at d 105 of restricted feeding and at d 49 of ad libitum feeding. Total RNA was extracted from these tissues of cows with the highest and lowest ADG during the ad libitum period. The Affymetrix GeneAtlas microarray system was used to determine relative transcript abundance differences across feeding periods and ADG classes within tissue type. Subsequent analyses using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) programs identified key gene clusters and pathways associated with differential gene expression, including propanoate metabolism, PPAR signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative phosphorylation. These data suggest key metabolic pathways may be driving differences in weight maintenance and gain.