Methionine supplementation during early post-natal life of ewe lambs: Developmental programming of the female offspring and effects on the first lactation
[EN]Methionine supplementation during the suckling period of ewe lambs may modify DNA methylation in the germline (F0) during this critical window period for the neonate. This circumstance may promote the intergenerational transmission of epigenetic marks to the offspring (F1), thus altering the exp...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de León |
| Repositorio: | BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:buleria_____::16c1618a661d20cf3964fdcd711e2c7a |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10612/28185 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Producción animal Biliary acids Biomarkers Epigenetics Insulin Low body weight Methionine neurological disorders 3104 Producción Animal 3104.06 Nutrición |
| Sumario: | [EN]Methionine supplementation during the suckling period of ewe lambs may modify DNA methylation in the germline (F0) during this critical window period for the neonate. This circumstance may promote the intergenerational transmission of epigenetic marks to the offspring (F1), thus altering the expression of specific genes and physiological traits throughout F1 life. To test this hypothesis, 27 newborn ewe lambs (F1) born from either ewes being supplemented 0.1 % methionine (dry matter basis) during the suckling period (F0-MET) or not supplemented (F0-CTRL) were assigned to two different groups (F1-CTRL, n = 13 and F1-MET, n = 14), being the dietary treatment of their mothers (F0) the only source of variation. Thus, all the F1 animals (both groups) were raised exactly in the same way along the whole life (including lactation). In this study, we determined differences in the global blood methylation patterns, biochemical profile, and metabolome of female offspring (F1). Our data showed that functional categories such as those related to developmental process and anatomical structure development were significantly enriched in the F1-MET ewe lambs due to differentially methylated regions of genes in these categories. These F1-MET ewes also presented lower live body weight (P < 0.05) and reduced lipomobilization and milk yield (P = 0.099) during the lactation period, together with increased PUFAs content (P = 0.075) in the milk fatty acid profile when compared to F1-CTRL. Increased levels of insulin (P = 0.031) and β-hydroxybutyrate (P = 0.043), along with certain features of the metabolome profiles, revealed altered lipid metabolism when compared to F1-CTRL animals. As far as fecal microbiota is concerned, no significant differences were found in alpha and beta diversity between the two groups. However, DESeq2 analysis performed on OTU-filtered data revealed that Treponema (genus) and Spirochaetaceae (family), both from the Spirochaetes phylum, were reduced in the F1-MET group compared to the F1-CTRL group (log2FC=-3.96, padj < 0.05). The results suggest that early methionine supplementation in F0 ewe lambs has an intergenerational impact on their F1 female offspring, with negative consequences on lipomobilization and milk production during F1 lactation. |
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