title: The influence of maternal energy status during mid-gestation on beef offspring tenderness, muscle characteristics, and gene expression.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine if maternal energy status during mid-gestation influences the expression of genes regulating muscle and fat development, and muscle characteristics that may impact meat tenderness. Cows grazed dormant, native range (Positive Energy Status [PES]) or were fed at 80% of maintenance energy requirements (Negative Energy Status [NES]) during mid-gestation. Steer offspring were harvested after 21 d in the feedlot (weaning subsample) or after 208 d in the feedlot (final subsample). Greater 21-d tenderness was observed in NES steers, resulting from reduced collagen content in longissimus lumborum steaks. In the semitendinosus, NES steers had greater soluble collagen, and down-regulated expression of MHC-IIA and TIMP-3 at weaning, while MHC-IIA expression was up-regulated in NES steers in the final harvest. Data show mid-gestational maternal energy status may impact offspring tenderness and collagen, but differences were not detected in expression of genes important in myogenesis and adipogenesis in muscle samples obtained from steers at weaning or slaughter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mohrhauser
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Gonda
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Underwood
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Wertz-Lutz
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, United States. Electronic address: amanda.blair@sdstate.edu.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Blair
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy
keywords: Adipogenesis; Beef; Collagen; Fetal programming; Myogenesis; Tenderness