Transgenerational effects of the maternal gestational environment on the post-natal performance of beef cattle: A reaction norm approach.

Autor: Santana ML; Grupo de Melhoramento Animal de Mato Grosso (GMAT), Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas, Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis, Rondonópolis, Brazil., Bignardi AB; Grupo de Melhoramento Animal de Mato Grosso (GMAT), Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas, Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis, Rondonópolis, Brazil., Pereira RJ; Grupo de Melhoramento Animal de Mato Grosso (GMAT), Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas, Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis, Rondonópolis, Brazil., Sterman Ferraz JB; Grupo de Melhoramento Animal e Biotecnologia (GMAB), FZEA, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil., Eler JP; Grupo de Melhoramento Animal e Biotecnologia (GMAB), FZEA, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of animal breeding and genetics = Zeitschrift fur Tierzuchtung und Zuchtungsbiologie [J Anim Breed Genet] 2025 Jan; Vol. 142 (1), pp. 24-42. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 29.
DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12883
Abstrakt: In tropical beef cattle production systems, animals are commonly raised on pastures, exposing them to potential stressors. The end of gestation typically overlaps with a dry period characterized by limited food availability. Late gestation is pivotal for fetal development, making it an ideal scenario for inter- and transgenerational effects of the maternal gestational environment. Intergenerational effects occur due to exposure during gestation, impacting the development of the embryo and its future germline. Transgenerational effects, however, extend beyond direct exposure to the subsequent generations. The objective of the present study was to verify these effects on the post-natal performance of zebu beef cattle. We extended the use of a reaction norm model to identify genetic variation in the animals' responses to transgenerational effects. The inter- and transgenerational effects were predominantly positive (-0.09% to 19.74%) for growth and reproductive traits, indicating improved animal performance on the phenotypic scale in more favourable maternal gestational environments. Additionally, these effects were more pronounced in the reproductive performance of females. On average, the ratio of direct additive genetic variances of the slope and intercept of the reaction norm ranged from 1.23% to 3.60% for direct and from 10.17% to 11.42% for maternal effects. Despite its relatively modest magnitude, this variation proved sufficient to prompt modifications in parameter estimates. The average percentage variation of direct heritability estimates ranged from 19.3% for scrotal circumference to 33.2% for yearling weight across the environmental descriptors evaluated. Genetic correlations between distant environments for the studied traits were generally high for direct effects and far from unity for maternal effects. Changes in EBV rankings of sires across different gestational environments were also observed. Due to the multifaceted nature of inter- and transgenerational effects of the maternal gestational environment on various traits of beef cattle raised under tropical pasture conditions, they should not be overlooked by producers and breeders. There were differences in the specific response of beef cattle to variations in the quality of the maternal gestational environment, which can be partially explained by transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Adopting a reaction norm model to capture a portion of the additive variance induced by inter- or transgenerational effects could be an alternative for future research and animal genetic evaluations.
(© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: