Prepartal Energy Intake Alters Blood Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Transcriptome During the Peripartal Period in...

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Immunology
• Nutrigenomics

Background:

• Cow health and farmer profitability rely on balancing diet and metabolism, particularly during the transition period.
• This period involves significant physiological changes, increasing susceptibility to metabolic and immune disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of prepartal dietary energy intake on the transcriptome of bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs).
• To understand how overfeeding during the dry period affects immune cell gene expression and cellular processes.

Main Methods:

• Holstein cows were assigned to a control-energy (CON) or overfed moderate-energy (OVE) diet during the dry period.
• Transcriptome analysis of PMNLs was performed using an Agilent microarray platform.
• Bioinformatics analysis, including the Dynamic Impact Approach, was used to interpret gene expression changes and pathway alterations.

Main Results:

• Energy intake significantly influenced the expression of 1806 genes in PMNLs.
• Key pathways affected included oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid biosynthesis, RNA polymerase, proteasome, and toll-like receptor signaling.
• Gene expression changes indicated mixed effects on energy metabolism and immune function, with some evidence of chronic PMNL activation.

Conclusions:

• Prepartal dietary energy adjustments significantly impact the bovine immune system at the transcriptome level.
• Overfeeding during the dry period may lead to detrimental immune responses in dairy cows.
• These findings underscore the importance of precise dietary energy management around calving for maintaining cow health.