Early life nutrition affects the molecular ontogeny of testicular development in the young bull calf

Stephen Coen, Kate Keogh, Pat Lonergan, Sean Fair, David A. Kenny

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Enhanced early life nutrition accelerates sexual development in the bull calf through neuroendocrine-signalling mediated via the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis. Our aim was to assess the impact of contrasting feeding regimes in bull calves during the first 12 weeks of life on the testes transcriptome and proteome. Holstein–Friesian bull calves were offered either a high (HI) or moderate (MOD) plane of nutrition, designed to support target growth rates of 1.0 and 0.5 kg/day, respectively. At 12 weeks of age all calves were euthanized, testicular parenchyma sampled, and global transcriptome (miRNAseq and mRNAseq) and proteome analyses undertaken. Bioinformatic analyses revealed 7 differentially expressed (DE) miRNA and 20 DE mRNA. There were no differentially abundant proteins between the two dietary groups. Integration of omics results highlighted a potential role for the cadherin gene, CDH13, in earlier reproductive development. Furthermore, co-regulatory network analysis of the proteomic data revealed CDH13 as a hub protein within a network enriched for processes related to insulin, IGF-1, androgen and Sertoli cell junction signalling pathways as well as cholesterol biosynthesis. Overall, results highlight a potential role for CDH13 in mediating earlier reproductive development as a consequence of enhanced early life nutrition in the bull calf.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6748
Pages (from-to)6748
JournalScientific Reports
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Early life nutrition affects the molecular ontogeny of testicular development in the young bull calf'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this