Plane of nutrition affects growth rate, organ size and skeletal muscle satellite cell activity in newborn calves

Abstract

Plane of nutrition effects on body, tissue and cellular growth in the neonatal calf are poorly understood. The hypothesis that a low plane of nutrition (LPN) would limit skeletal muscle size by reducing fibre growth and muscle progenitor cell activity was tested. At birth, calves were randomly assigned to either a LPN (20% CP, 20% fat; GE=1.9 Mcal/days) or a high plane of nutrition (HPN; 27% CP, 10% fat, GE = 3.8 Mcal/days) in a 2 × 3 factorial design to test the impact of diet on neonatal calf growth, organ weight and skeletal muscle morphometry with time. Groups of calves (n = 4 or 5) were euthanised at 2, 4 and 8 week of age and organ and empty carcass weights were recorded. Body composition was measured by DXA. Longissimus muscle (LM) fibre cross-sectional area (CSA), fibre/mm and Pax7 were measured by immunohistology. Satellite cells were isolated at each time point and proliferation rates were measured by EdU incorporation. Calves fed a HPN had greater (p < 0.05) BW, ADG and hip height than those fed a LPN for 2, 4 or 8 weeks. HPN calves contained a greater (p < 0.05) percentage of fat tissue than LPN calves. Liver, spleen and thymus weights were less (p < 0.05) in LPN calves than HPN animals. Calves fed HPN had larger (p < 0.05) LM CSA at 8 weeks than LPN fed animals with no differences between the groups in numbers of satellite cells per fibre. Proliferation rates of satellite cells isolated from HPN fed calves were greater (p < 0.05) at 2 weeks than LPN fed animals, which exhibited greater (p < 0.05) proliferation rates at 4 weeks than HPN fed calves. We conclude a LPN diet reduces body growth and organ size and metabolically reprograms satellite cell activity.

Effects of colostrum instead of formula feeding for the first 2 days postnatum on whole-body energy metabolism and its endocrine control in neonatal calves

“…The differences in plasma leptin and adiponectin at the end of the study most likely do not result from different endogenous production due to variable body fat in COL and FOR calves. The body fat content in neonatal calves is low; for instance, percentage of perirenal fat in 2-wk-old calves is about 0.1 to 0.2% of carcass weight but is about 1.1 to 1.7% of carcass weight in dairy cows (Drackley et al, 2014;MacGhee et al, 2017).…”

TRIENNIAL GROWTH SYMPOSIUM: THE NUTRITION OF MUSCLE GROWTH: Impacts of nutrition on the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells in livestock species1,2

“…When calves are provided with a high plane of nutrition, the cross-sectional area of their muscle fibers was significantly increased after 8 wk when compared with those animals receiving a low plane of nutrition (MacGhee et al, 2017). Additionally, providing a high plane of nutrition results in SC with a significantly increased mitotic index after 2 wk, but a significantly decreased mitotic index after 4 wk when compared with calves receiving a low plane of nutrition (MacGhee et al, 2017). This research demonstrates the first report in cattle of how nutrition specifically impacts proliferation and differentiation of SC in postnatal life.…”

“…Another study in poultry showed that altering the methionine:cysteine ratio in the diet affected SC and subsequent muscle growth in the pectoralis major (Powell et al, 2013). A recent study showed that providing either a low or high plane of nutrition (1.9 vs. 3.8 Mcal of gross energy/d) to dairy bull calves altered SC activity and skeletal muscle growth (MacGhee et al, 2017). When calves are provided with a high plane of nutrition, the cross-sectional area of their muscle fibers was significantly increased after 8 wk when compared with those animals receiving a low plane of nutrition (MacGhee et al, 2017).…”

“…A recent study showed that providing either a low or high plane of nutrition (1.9 vs. 3.8 Mcal of gross energy/d) to dairy bull calves altered SC activity and skeletal muscle growth (MacGhee et al, 2017). When calves are provided with a high plane of nutrition, the cross-sectional area of their muscle fibers was significantly increased after 8 wk when compared with those animals receiving a low plane of nutrition (MacGhee et al, 2017). Additionally, providing a high plane of nutrition results in SC with a significantly increased mitotic index after 2 wk, but a significantly decreased mitotic index after 4 wk when compared with calves receiving a low plane of nutrition (MacGhee et al, 2017).…”

Effect of Pre and Post Weaning Diet Quality on Puberty Age and Tail Measures in Kurdish Female Lambs

“…At 210 days of age, after a period of feed restriction of H-L treatment, the average tail length, tail width, and tail circumference of lambs in the H-L group were lower than H-H lambs (P < 0.05; Table 4) but showed no difference compared with that of the L-H group (P > 0.05; Table 4). Animal growth has been defined as the net accretion of protein and fat in respective tissues, controlled by nutrition, environment, and genetic capacity to grow [31]. Hamouda and Atti [32] revealed that in young lambs, carcass adiposity and particularly fat tail reduce Barbarine meat value as the lamb grows.…”