Multi-omics analyses in cows and their female progeny in the context of direct and time-lagged heat stress effects
A heat stress (HS) cattle research design was implemented to study HS effects on the three different “omics features” methylations, gene expressions and metabolic pattern from a direct perspective in pregnant cows and from an indirect time-lagged intergenerational perspective in offspring (the respective F1 and as F1 offspring before calving). In this regard, German Holstein dairy cows and their calves were blood sampled for DNA and RNA extraction and for metabolic phenotyping, and allocated to HS and respective control groups (the cows (dams) as well as their calves) according to a temperature-humidity threshold of 60. Overall design: German Holstein dairy cows and their female calves were allocated to heat stress and respective control groups (the cows (dams) as well as their calves) according to a temperature-humidity threshold of 60