Maternal and fetal influences on uterine and conceptus development in the cow: I. Growth of tissues of the gravid uterus

Ferrell, C. L.

doi:10.2527/1991.6951945x

Cited by 92 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The effect of foetal and maternal genotype on foetal growth has been most convincingly demonstrated in cattle by Ferrell (1991) Joubert and Hammond (1958) for birth weights for South Devon and Dexter cattle and their reciprocal crosses. In this regard, foetal growth capacity as influenced by sex and siregenotype may also influence the nutritional status of the pregnant cow during late gestation (Greenwood et al, 2002b), probably due to differences in foetal nutrient uptake, contributing to maternal nutrient requirements.…”

Section: Paritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal and pre-weaning growth and nutrition of cattle: long-term consequences for beef production

Greenwood

Café

2007

Animal

155

113

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Severe, chronic growth retardation of cattle early in life reduces growth potential, resulting in smaller animals at any given age. Capacity for long-term compensatory growth diminishes as the age of onset of nutritional restriction resulting in prolonged growth retardation declines. Hence, more extreme intrauterine growth retardation can result in slower growth throughout postnatal life. However, within the limits of beef production systems, neither severely restricted growth in utero nor from birth to weaning influences efficiency of nutrient utilisation later in life. Retail yield from cattle severely restricted in growth during pregnancy or from birth to weaning is reduced compared with cattle well grown early in life, when compared at the same age later in life. However, retail yield and carcass composition of low-and high-birth-weight calves are similar at the same carcass weight. At equivalent carcass weights, cattle grown slowly from birth to weaning have carcasses of similar or leaner composition than those grown rapidly. However, if high energy, concentrate feed is provided following severe growth restriction from birth to weaning, then at equivalent weights post-weaning the slowly-grown, small weaners may be fatter than their well-grown counterparts. Restricted prenatal and pre-weaning nutrition and growth do not adversely affect measures of beef quality. Similarly, bovine myofibre characteristics are little affected in the long term by growth in utero or from birth to weaning. Interactions were not evident between prenatal and pre-weaning growth for subsequent growth, efficiency, carcass, yield and beef-quality characteristics, within our pasture-based production systems. Furthermore, interactions between genotype and nutrition early in life, studied using offspring of Piedmontese and Wagyu sired cattle, were not evident for any growth, efficiency, carcass, yield and beef-quality parameters. We propose that within pasture-based production systems for beef cattle, the plasticity of the carcass tissues, particularly of muscle, allows animals that are growth-retarded early in life to attain normal composition at equivalent weights in the long term, albeit at older ages. However, the quality of nutrition during recovery from early life growth retardation may be important in determining the subsequent composition of young, light-weight cattle relative to their heavier counterparts. Finally, it should be emphasised that long-term consequences of more specific and/or acute environmental influences during specific stages of embryonic, foetal and neonatal calf development remain to be determined. This need for further research extends to consequences of nutrition and growth early in life for reproductive capacity.

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Section: Paritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal and pre-weaning growth and nutrition of cattle: long-term consequences for beef production

Greenwood

Café

2007

Animal

155

113

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“…The concept of maternal and placental constraint involves a physiological homeostatic mechanism that ensures maternal survival (Ferrell 1991a,b, Gluckman et al 1992, and is related to the control of nutrient supply to foetuses in late gestation (Gluckman et al 1992). We observed previously that high birth weights following in vitro embryo manipulations are associated with early conceptus growth restriction and aberrant placentation (Bertolini & Anderson 2002, Bertolini et al 2002b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of increased substrate availability to in vitro-derived bovine foetuses and association with accelerated conceptus growth

Bertolini

Moyer²,

Mason³

et al. 2004

Reproduction

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Changes in placental development have been associated with foetal abnormalities after in vitro embryo manipulations. This study was designed to investigate bovine conceptus development and substrate levels in plasma and fluids in in vivo-and in vitro-produced (IVP) concepti and neonates. In vivo-produced and IVP embryos were derived by established embryo production procedures. Pregnant animals from both groups were slaughtered on days 90 or 180 of gestation, or allowed to go to term. Conceptus and neonatal physical traits were recorded; foetal, maternal and neonatal blood, and foetal fluids were collected for the determination of blood and fluid chemistry, and glucose, fructose and lactate concentrations. Placental transcripts for specific glucose transporters were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. No significant differences in uterine and conceptus traits were observed between groups on day 90. On day 180, larger uterine, placental and foetal weights, and an increase in placental gross surface area (SA) in IVP pregnancies were associated with increased glucose and fructose accumulation in foetal plasma and associated fluids, with no differences in the expression of components of the glucose transporter system. Therefore, the enlarged placental SA in IVP pregnancies suggests an increase in substrate uptake and transport capacity. Newborn IVP calves displayed higher birth weights and plasma fructose concentrations soon after birth, findings which appeared to be associated with clinical and metabolic distress. Our results indicated larger concepti and increased placental fructogenic capacity in mid-to late IVP pregnancies, features which appeared to be associated with an enhanced substrate supply, potentially glucose, to the conceptus.

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“…Winick and Noble 1966;Robinson 1969;Greenwood et al 2000). In cattle, fetal growth restriction to about half normal growth during the period 232-271 days of gestation resulted in a 7.8% increase in muscle DNA content, compared with a 99.5% increase during normal fetal growth (Ferrell 1991). In this regard, it has been demonstrated that the number of satellite cells , replication of satellite cell nuclei (Greenwood et al 1999b) and subsequent accumulation of muscle DNA (Robinson 1969;Beermann 1983;Greenwood et al 2000) can be reduced by prenatal and/or early postnatal growth retardation with potential longer-term consequences for growth, body composition and body size (Widdowson 1971;Greenwood et al 1998).…”

Section: Musclementioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional and developmental effects on the intrinsic properties of muscles as they relate to the eating quality of beef

Oddy¹,

Harper²,

Greenwood³

et al. 2001

Aust. J. Exp. Agric.

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Abstract. The intrinsic properties (those extant at the time of slaughter) of bovine skeletal muscle as they relate to the subsequent quality attributes of beef are reviewed here. Attributes of bovine skeletal muscle that ultimately affect toughness, colour, fat content, flavour, juiciness, and nutritive value of beef are discussed. The dynamic nature of muscle development, particularly with regard to structure and composition, is highlighted. Variation in development of muscle structure and composition due to inherited (genetic) factors and environment (particularly nutrient supply) are described. Examples are given of the implications of sources of variation due to animal genotype, age, nutrient supply, and hormonal environment on muscle cellularity and growth, fibre type, connective tissue composition and structure as they affect meat quality attributes.Key intrinsic properties of muscle include muscle type, cellularity, size, myofibre type, connective tissue composition and structure, glycogen and fat content and proteolytic activity. Activity of the calpain system at slaughter is seen as an important attribute. Regulation of myofibrillar and connective tissue proteolysis in vivo are discussed together with implications for subsequent meat quality. Amongst the on-farm environmental factors, nutritional history and developmental pathway are identified as factors that can be responsible for significant variation in the intrinsic properties of muscle that contribute to variation in toughness, colour and fat content, and thus consumer liking of beef.

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Maternal and fetal influences on uterine and conceptus development in the cow: I. Growth of tissues of the gravid uterus

Cited by 92 publications

References 5 publications

Prenatal and pre-weaning growth and nutrition of cattle: long-term consequences for beef production

Prenatal and pre-weaning growth and nutrition of cattle: long-term consequences for beef production

Evidence of increased substrate availability to in vitro-derived bovine foetuses and association with accelerated conceptus growth

Nutritional and developmental effects on the intrinsic properties of muscles as they relate to the eating quality of beef

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