Special Issue "Developmental Programming: Associations between Maternal Characteristics and Development of Their Offspring"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Cao
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. James K Drackley
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to improve the efficiency of meat and milk production and sustainability of the livestock industry, optimal development of the young animal is critical. However, environmental factors and signals arising from the dam during pregnancy can potentially affect metabolism, growth, gut development, and health of the offspring both in the short- and long-term. Factors such as nutrition, environmental temperature, social insults, parity number, and disease could have a lifelong programming effect on the animal phenotype.

Management interventions to mitigate the negative consequences of different factors and signals during pregnancy on the offspring early and later in life are invaluable. Furthermore, the most sensitive period of gestation and the underlying mechanisms by which the various factors and signals might control the expression of metabolic, neurochemical, and behavioral phenotypes need to be further elucidated.

In this Special Issue, we invite authors to submit original research articles and reviews that focus on prenatal period and subsequent growth, performance, health, and overall welfare of the offspring in livestock (beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs) species.

Prof. Dr. Zhijun Cao
Prof. Dr. James K Drackley
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • developmental programming
  • maternal effects
  • offspring
  • beef cattle
  • dairy cattle
  • sheep
  • goats
  • pigs

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Article
Effects of Nutritional Restriction during Laying Period of Fat and Lean Line Broiler Breeder Hens on Meat Quality Traits of Offspring
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2434; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082434 - 18 Aug 2021
Viewed by 370
Abstract
The offspring meat quality of hens undergoing a 25% dietary restriction treatment during the laying period were evaluated in fat and lean line breeder. A total of 768 female birds (384/line) were randomly assigned to four groups (12 replicates/group, 16 birds/replicates). Maternal feed [...] Read more.
The offspring meat quality of hens undergoing a 25% dietary restriction treatment during the laying period were evaluated in fat and lean line breeder. A total of 768 female birds (384/line) were randomly assigned to four groups (12 replicates/group, 16 birds/replicates). Maternal feed restriction (MFR) and normal started at 27 weeks of age. Offspring broilers were fed ad libitum. The offspring meat quality traits and muscle fiber morphology in different periods were measured. At birth, significant interactions were found on breast muscle fiber morphology (p < 0.05). At 28 days, MFR decreased breast water content and increased thigh crude fat content, and significant interactions were observed on breast crude fat and protein contents (p < 0.05). At 56 days, MFR affected morphology of peroneus longus muscle tissue, and significant interactions were found on thigh redness at 48 h and amino acid contents in breast and thigh muscle (p < 0.05). Overall, MRF may lead to offspring birth sarcopenia. Such offspring grow more easily to deposit fat in a nutritious environment, but they will self-regulate adverse symptoms during growth and development. The two lines respond differently to maternal nutritional disturbance due to different nutritional requirements and metabolic patterns. Full article
Article
The Protective Role of Alpha-Ketoglutaric Acid on the Growth and Bone Development of Experimentally Induced Perinatal Growth-Retarded Piglets
Animals 2021, 11(1), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010137 - 10 Jan 2021
Viewed by 659
Abstract
The effect of alpha-ketoglutaric acid (AKG) supplementation to experimentally-induced, perinatal growth-retarded piglets was examined. Sows were treated with a synthetic glucocorticoid (Gc) during the last 25 days of pregnancy, and after the birth, piglets were randomly divided into three groups depending on the [...] Read more.
The effect of alpha-ketoglutaric acid (AKG) supplementation to experimentally-induced, perinatal growth-retarded piglets was examined. Sows were treated with a synthetic glucocorticoid (Gc) during the last 25 days of pregnancy, and after the birth, piglets were randomly divided into three groups depending on the treatment. The Gc/Gc + AKG and Gc/AKG groups born by Gc-treated sows after the birth were treated with Gc or Gc + AKG for 35 days. Significantly lower serum growth hormone, IGF-I, osteocalcin, leptin, and cortisol concentrations were observed in the Gc/Gc + AKG group, while the bone alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly higher. Serum insulin concentration was higher in the control group. Serum alanine, lysine, histidine, and tryptophan concentrations were higher in the Gc/Gc + AKG and Gc/AKG groups. The perinatal action of Gc significantly affects histomorphometry of articular cartilage and trabecular bone and bone mechanics. The results clearly showed that dietary AKG had positive effects with regards to the profile of free amino acids. Taking into account the function of AKG as an energy donor and stimulator of collagen synthesis, it can be concluded that the anabolic role of AKG may be the main mechanism responsible for its protective effect against the GC-induced perinatal intensified catabolic state. Full article
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