Does the Fat Tailed Damara Ovine Breed Have a Distinct Lipid Metabolism Leading to a High Concentration of Branched Chain Fatty Acids in Tissues?

Abstract

Fat tailed sheep breeds are known for their adaptation to nutritional stress, among other harsh production conditions. Damara sheep, native to Southern Africa, have recently been exported to other areas of the world, particularly Australia, aiming to produce lamb in semi-arid regions. Damaras have a unique hanging fat tail, a fat depot able to be mobilized under nutritional stress. In this article we perform an in-depth characterization of the fatty acid profiles of the fat tail in underfed and control Damara rams. Profiles were very similar between experimental groups, with the exception of palmitic acid (16:0) that was lower (P = 0.014) in underfed animals. However, the most striking result was the very high proportions of non-terminal branched chain fatty acids found in the fat tail adipose tissue, as well as the gastrocnemius muscle of Damara rams. The muscle of Dorper and Merino rams used in the same experiment did not present non-terminal branched chain fatty acids, suggesting that Damara rams have a unique lipid metabolism. Herein, we interpret this trait relating it to a higher ability of Damara sheep to digest fibrous fodder and to putative differences in the propionate metabolism by comparison to other sheep breeds.

The hepatic and skeletal muscle ovine metabolomes as affected by weight loss: a study in three sheep breeds using NMR-metabolomics

“…Previous studies with the same animal groups suggest that the Damara breed has a unique lipid metabolism, mostly due to the putative contribution of the fat tail as supplier of odd and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) to the muscle40. However, it is also suggested that this tolerance to feed restriction could also be due to some kind of peculiarities in rumen activity40. Specifically, if the Damara breed has some digestive adaptation that can increase the efficiency of fibre digestion, the acetate-propionate ratio will be affected4041.…”

“…However, it is also suggested that this tolerance to feed restriction could also be due to some kind of peculiarities in rumen activity40. Specifically, if the Damara breed has some digestive adaptation that can increase the efficiency of fibre digestion, the acetate-propionate ratio will be affected4041. Indeed, in the present study, levels of acetate in the liver of the restricted group was lower than in the growth group.…”

‘The bees are our sheep’: the role of honey and fat in the transition to livestock keeping during the last two thousand years in southernmost Africa

“…Given the transforming influence of beekeeping on concepts of ownership, sedentism and exchange among East African foragers, the juxtaposition of images of bees with those of sheep in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg should not be dismissed as an irrelevance in the context of the adoption of livestock-keeping by indigenous hunter-gatherer groups in southern Africa. A recent paper by Alves et al (2013) finds that the tail fat of the Damara sheep has a distinct chemical structure linked to a unique type of lipid metabolism. A similar marking of wild goods is described by Bleek (1928: 37) for the Naron (Nharo), among whom 'a man who finds an ostrich nest with one or two eggs, sticks his arrow in the ground close by as a sign of ownership'.…”

Follicle growth, ovulation rate, body weight change, and antioxidant and metabolic status in three fat-tailed sheep breeds fed a half-maintenance diet

“…This may be because of the role of the fat tail in maintaining the animal's condition, whereby ewes can mobilize fat depot when exposed to nutritional stress. 13 Moreover, the effects of nutrition on gonadotropin release are not very acute unless a severe nutritional restriction occurs in ruminants. 24 The slight decrease in dominant follicle and corpus luteum diameters observed in 50% restricted ewes was similar to that observed in llamas fed 40% and 70% …”

“…Since fat depot able to be mobilized under nutritional stress. 13 Where, lipid was mobilized from the fat tails of sheep exposed to starvation in the form of free fatty acids. 14 The purpose of this study was to determine effects of feeding a half-maintenance diet for 30 days on growth dynamics and competence of preovulatory follicles, ovulation rate, body weight, metabolic changes, hormonal, and antioxidant markers in synchronized mature fat-tailed cyclic Barki, Rahmani, and Ossimi ewes.…”