Effects of dam parity and rearing rank on the glucose and fat metabolism, and adrenal function of post-pubertal single and twin-ewe progeny
S. J. Pain A B C , P. R. Kenyon A B , S. T. Morris A B and H. T. Blair A BA Sheep Research Centre, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
B National Research Centre for Growth and Development, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
C Corresponding author. Email: s.j.pain@massey.ac.nz
Animal Production Science 50(6) 473-478 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN09182
Submitted: 7 December 2009 Accepted: 11 April 2010 Published: 11 June 2010
Abstract
In an effort to increase the number of lambs produced per ewe’s productive lifetime in New Zealand, an increasing number of ewe lambs (8–9 months old) are being bred. This, in turn, results in an increased proportion of second-parity 2-year-old ewes in New Zealand’s breeding flock, rather than the more usual first-parity 2-year olds. The longer-term effects of dam parity on resulting ewe progeny are of interest and few studies have examined this. The present study was designed to determine whether parity (first or second) of Romney 2-year-old dams had any effect on the metabolic function of their single- and twin-born and reared ewe lamb progeny at 10 months of age. Ten-month-old, single and twin ewe lamb progeny born to first- or second-parity dams (n = 8 per group) were catheterised and given intravenous glucose (0.17 g/kg liveweight) (GTT), insulin (0.15 IU/kg liveweight) (ITT) and epinephrine (1 μg/kg liveweight) (ETT) tolerance tests to assess their glucose and fat metabolism and adrenal function. Rearing rank reduced (P < 0.05) the insulin response of twins to a glucose challenge, but increased (P < 0.05) their glucose response to an insulin challenge. Offspring from first-parity dams had higher (P < 0.05) basal plasma concentrations of cortisol and cortisone, whereas their cortisol/cortisone responses to an insulin challenge were unaffected by either dam parity or rearing rank. Neither dam parity nor rearing rank appeared to influence responses to an epinephrine challenge. The present study suggests that both dam parity and rearing rank alter the glucose and insulin metabolism of the offspring, which may have longer-term impacts on the growth and reproductive efficiency of the animal.
Additional keywords: adrenal function, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, maternal parity, rearing rank, sheep.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the technical team at the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Science, Massey University, for their help with blood collection and Eric Thorstensen at Auckland University for blood analyses. The authors acknowledge the funding gratefully provided by Massey University and the National Research Centre for Growth and Development.
Baker RL,
Steine TA,
Våbenø AW,
Bekken A, Gjedrem T
(1978) Effect of mating ewe lambs on lifetime productive performance. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 28, 203–217.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bloomfield FH
(2009) The peri-conceptual origins of the life-long physiological consequences of being a twin. Physiology News 75, 31–33.
Chapa AM,
Fernandez JM, Thompson DL
(1996) Changes in plasma somatotropin, prolactin, glucose, and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations in goats administered an epinephrine challenge. Small Ruminant Research 23, 125–133.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Clarke L,
Firth K,
Heasman L,
Juniper DT,
Budge H,
Stephenson T, Symonds ME
(2000) Influence of relative size at birth on growth and glucose homeostasis in twin lambs during juvenile life. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 12, 69–73.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Desai M,
Byrne CD,
Meeran K,
Martenz ND,
Bloom SR, Hales CN
(1997) Regulation of hepatic enzymes and insulin levels in offspring of rat dams fed a reduced-protein diet. American Journal of Physiology. Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 273, G899–G904.
|
CAS |
Dwyer CM,
Calvert SK,
Farish M,
Donbavand J, Pickup HE
(2005) Breed, litter and parity effects on placental weight and placentome number, and consequences for the neonatal behavior of the lamb. Theriogenology 63, 1092–1110.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Dyrmundsson OR
(1973) Puberty and early reproductive performance in sheep: 1. Ewe lambs. Animal Breeding Abstracts 41, 273–289.
Gardner DS,
Jamall E,
Fletcher AJ,
Fowden AL, Giussani DA
(2004) Adrenocortical responsiveness is blunted in twin relative to singleton ovine fetuses. Journal of Physiology 557, 1021–1032.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Kenyon PR,
Morris ST,
Blair HT, Stafford KJ
(2008a) Does dam parity affect the performance of ewe progeny born to 2-year-old ewes? Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48, 979–983.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kenyon PR,
Proctor L,
Morel PCH,
Morris ST, West DM
(2008b) The effect of breeding ewe lambs on subsequent two-year-old ewe performance. Livestock Science 115, 206–210.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kenyon PR,
Blair HT, Morris ST
(2009) Does dam parity affect the lambing performance of two-year-old ewes and the lambs growth and survival to weaning? Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 1, S9–S10.
McCall DG, Hight GK
(1981) Environmental influences on hogget lambing performance and the relationship between hogget and two tooth lambing performance. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 145–152.
McMillen IC,
Schwartz J,
Coulter CL, Edwards LJ
(2004) Early embryonic environment, the fetal pituitary–adrenal-axis and the timing of parturition. Endocrinology Research 30, 845–850.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Rumball CWH,
Harding JE,
Oliver MH, Bloomfield FH
(2008a) Effects of twin pregnancy and periconceptional undernutrition on maternal metabolism, fetal growth and glucose–insulin axis function in ovine pregnancy. Journal of Physiology – London 586, 1399–1411.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Rumball CWH,
Oliver MH,
Thorstensen EB,
Jaquiery AL,
Husted SM,
Harding JE, Bloomfield FH
(2008b) Effects of twinning and periconceptional undernutrition on late-gestation hypothalamic– pituitary–adrenal axis function in ovine pregnancy. Endocrinology 149, 1163–1172.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Symonds ME,
Pearce S,
Bispham J,
Gardner DS, Stephenson T
(2004) Timing of nutrient restriction and programming of fetal adipose tissue development. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 63, 397–403.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Tyrrell RN
(1976) Some effects of pregnancy in eight-month-old Merino ewes. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 16, 458–461.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
