Effect of early calf-hood nutrition on the transcriptomic profile of the HPT axis in Holstein-Friesian bulls

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of early calf-hood nutrition on the transcriptomic profile of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, the anterior pituitary and the testes in Holstein-Friesian bulls and possible downstream effects on reproduction. Holstein Friesian bull calves with a mean (±S.D.) age and bodyweight of 19 (±8.2) days and 47.5 (±5.3) kg, respectively, were assigned to either a high (n=10) or low (n=10) plane of nutrition. Calves were fed in order to achieve an overall growth rate of 1.2 and 0.5 kg/day for the high and low plane of nutrition treatments, respectively. At 126 days of age, the bulls were euthanized using an intravenous overdose of sodium pentobarbitone and arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary and the parenchyma of the testes tissue samples were harvested and RNAseq analysis was performed. At the end of the trial period, Overall design: 19 Holstein Friesian bull calves with a mean (±S.D.) age and bodyweight of 19 (±8.2) days and 47.5 (±5.3) kg, respectively, were assigned to either a high (n=10) or low (n=10) plane of nutrition. Calves were fed in order to achieve an overall growth rate of 1.2 and 0.5 kg/day for the high and low plane of nutrition treatments, respectively. At 126 days of age, the bulls were euthanized using an intravenous overdose of sodium pentobarbitone and the arcuate nucleus, anterior pituitary and the parencyma of the testes tissue samples were harvested and RNAseq analysis was performed.

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English AM, Byrne CJ, Cormican P, Waters SM, Fair S, Kenny DA