Resumen de Influencia de la lactación sobre el embrión: ¿Epigenética o efecto materno?
O. González Recio, E. Ugarte, Alex Bach Ariza
Epigenetic regulation in mammals begins in the first stages of embryogenesis. This prenatal programming overlaps with lactation in dairy cattle, and determines in part, phenotype expression in adult life. The transgenerational effect when embryo development coincides with maternal lactation was analyzed. Longitudinal phenotypic data for milk yield (kg), ratio of fat-protein content in milk during first lactation, and lifespan (d) from 40,065 cows were adjusted for environmental and genetic effects using a Bayesian framework. Then, the effect of different maternal circumstances was determined on the residuals. The maternal-related circumstances were 1) presence of lactation, 2) maternal milk yield level, and 3) occurrence of mastitis during embryogenesis. Females born to mothers that were lactating while pregnant produced between 18 and 91 kg less milk (depending on parity number of the mother) and their lifespan was between 23 and 9 days shorter than those born to nulliparous cows. Similar results were obtained for milk fat to protein ratio, which was analyzed as a metabolic efficiency indicator. Our data provide evidence of a trans-generational effect when pregnancy and lactation coincide, and its potential epigenetic origin should be further studied using DNA methylation data.
