Maternal Effect on Birth Weight in South Devon − Dexter Cattle Crosses

Joubert, D. M.; Hammond, J. R.

doi:10.1038/174647a0

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Instead, these findings suggest an intrinsic limit to growth set by the embryonic/foetal genotype and also a growth limiting effect of the smaller maternal genotype. Similar results were obtained from comparable studies on cattle (Joubert and Hammond 1954) and sheep (Hunter 1956).…”

Section: Regulation Of Foetal Growth and Developmentsupporting

confidence: 86%

Pathophysiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms of foetal growth retardation

Han

1993

Equine Veterinary Journal

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Summary In mammals, size at birth is the outcome of length of gestation and rate of foetal growth. In the absence of premature delivery, foetal size within species is determined principally by foetal growth rate which is dependent on both genetic and epigenetic factors. Failure of either of these mechanisms leads to foetal growth retardation. In mammals, including human infants, foetal growth retardation can occur naturally or pathologically. One major cause for natural foetal growth retardation or runting is the increase in litter size. In many cases, however, the cause of runting is unknown. Parental genotype or antigenic differences between the mother and the developing conceptus may be potential causes. Pathological foetal growth retardation or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is due to genetic causes (chromosomal abnormalities or inherited syndromes) or epigenetic causes (intrauterine infections, toxins and chemicals, maternal diseases of pregnancy affecting the placenta). The underlying pathophysiological processes that occur at the cellular and molecular level in IUGR are still unknown. Reduction in the supply of substrates that are necessary for normal cellular function, and alteration in mediator molecules that regulate cellular growth and differentiation, are important mechanisms. A decrease in growth promoting factors or an increase in growth inhibitory factors may lead to growth failure. Growth factors and their receptors are expressed in the developing embryo (as early as the 1–2‐cell stage), placenta and maternal uterine tissues, suggesting that these molecules may play a role in regulating normal growth and differentiation of the conceptus as well as maternal reproductive tissues. The local expression within developing tissues indicates that these factors act in either autocrine or paracrine mechanism. Recent studies using gene targeting to knock out one allele of insulin‐like growth factor II (IGF II) gene in mice which resulted in growth retarded pups at birth, strongly support the importance of local IGF II in regulating tissue growth. Foetal growth retardation has also been induced experimentally in several species using one of the following methods: (i) maternal undernutrition, (ii) chronic hypoxia, (iii) prolonged reduction in uterine blood flow, (iv) reduction in placental size, and (v) endocrine alterations. These models provide useful information on the physiological mechanisms underlying a specific type of growth retardation. These in‐vivo models and in‐vivo tissue culture models can now be analysed by biochemical and molecular biological techniques to unravel the basic mechanisms that underlie foetal growth retardation.

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Section: Regulation Of Foetal Growth and Developmentsupporting

confidence: 86%

Pathophysiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms of foetal growth retardation

Han

1993

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…Reciprocal differences give the simplest evidence that maternal effects occur (Walton & Hammond, 1938;Joubert & Hammond, 1954Flade, 1957) with strong support coming from transplantation of early zygotes between large and small mothers (Venge, 1950;Hunter, Adams & Rowson, 1954;Hunter, 1956). There is also abundant evidence that birth weight increases with increasing parity-in particular from first to second births.…”

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Some genetic implications of maternal effects—an hypothesis of mammalian growth

Dickinson¹

1960

J. Agric. Sci.

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In a cross-breeding experiment involving all types of matings among Friesian, Ayrshire and Jersey cattle, the effect of maternal size has been investigated, based on various comparisons of reciprocal crosses, using data on weight and body size from birth to 2 years of age. Among the thirteen characters analysed, there was a close relationship at I month old between the relative maturity of the characters and the relative extent of their maternal effects. This relationship showed that the more mature characters were the least affected by the maternal environment. Cross-bred calves out of a mother of the larger breed were larger at birth than the reciprocal crosses but in all cases this difference disappeared during the first year's growth.The early expression of the offspring's genotype for body size depended on whether prenatal growth had been favoured or restricted by the maternal environment within limits. Maternal retardation of growth resulted in neonatal phenotypes closely related to their genetic ranking for mature body size, whereas early expression of the genotype is obscured by lavish prenatal conditions.A mammalian growth model is presented and the results are interpreted in terms of this model. The explanation assumes that temporary advantage is taken, during growth, of variations in the environment, when the latter exceeds a minimal level demanded by the genotype for stable development to normal mature size. This supply and demand hypothesis of growth is discussed in terms of its implications for genetic selection of different types of body characters. The main conclusion is that an understanding of the early environment, particularly the maternal one, may permit selection for some adult characteristics to be carried out at an early age.

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“…The maternal influence may be defined as the sum of the effects of those maternal factors which influence the growth of the young after fertilization of the egg; it is made up of pre-natal and postnatal elements. Walton & Hammond (1938) and Joubert & Hammond (1954) have studied the effect of the maternal environment in horses and cattle respectively, by crossing breeds which differed greatly in size. Venge (1950) has studied the maternal influence on size in rabbits both by crossing breeds of markedly different size and also by transferring fertilized eggs between these breeds.…”

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The maternal influence on size in sheep

Hunter

1956

J. Agric. Sci.

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With Plates 1-3 and Sixteen Text-figures)Factors which affect the growth of the young animal are of great economic importance in animal production. In the past, much experimental work has been concerned with the effect on the growth of the young animal of different environmental factors. Many of these factors do not, however, affect the development of the young animal directly, but rather act on its maternal environment. Thus, much is known of the factors which affect the milk secretion of the female and this in turn is known to have a considerable effect on the growth of the young; similarly, the level of nutrition of the female during pregnancy has been found to influence foetal growth.The maternal environment may affect the growth of the offspring at two stages. Before birth, the foetus is entirely dependent upon its mother for its nutrition, so that foetal growth is subject to her control. After birth, the young animal is at first entirely dependent and, for a considerable period, is largely dependent on maternal care, or its equivalent, a most important feature of which is the milk supply available. The maternal influence may be defined as the sum of the effects of those maternal factors which influence the growth of the young after fertilization of the egg; it is made up of pre-natal and postnatal elements. Walton & Hammond (1938) and Joubert & Hammond (1954) have studied the effect of the maternal environment in horses and cattle respectively, by crossing breeds which differed greatly in size. Venge (1950) has studied the maternal influence on size in rabbits both by crossing breeds of markedly different size and also by transferring fertilized eggs between these breeds. The two methods used by Venge were also employed in the experiments to be described in this paper. These experiments were based on suppositions similar to those on which the above-mentioned earlier experiments with other species were based, namely, that breeds of ewes which differ markedly in size would provide different maternal environments, and that the cross-bred lambs would have similar genetic constitutions irrespective of which way the crosses were made. The control of body size and growth by sex-linked genes is thus assumed to be very small in relation to the main factors studied in these experiments.The two breeds of sheep which were selected for the present experiments were the Border Leicester and the Welsh Mountain; the live weight of mature Border Leicester ewes averages 140-180 lb., whilst that of Welsh Mountain ewes averages only 80-100 lb. In the first experiment, these breeds were crossed reciprocally so that (cross-bred) lambs having similar genetic constitutions were reared in the very different maternal environments provided by the two breeds of ewe; the effects on the size of the lambs of the two environments could then be compared. By using young and mature ewes, it was also possible to estimate the influence of the age of the mother on the size of the lambs. Thus the effects of (a) breed of ram, (6) breed of ewe, (c)...

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Maternal Effect on Birth Weight in South Devon − Dexter Cattle Crosses

Cited by 19 publications

References 3 publications

Pathophysiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms of foetal growth retardation

Pathophysiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms of foetal growth retardation

Some genetic implications of maternal effects—an hypothesis of mammalian growth

The maternal influence on size in sheep

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