The effects of feeding increasing concentrations of corn oil on energy metabolism and nutrient balance in finishing beef steers.

The use of an added lipid is common in high-concentrate finishing diets. The objective of our experiment was to determine if feeding increasing concentrations of added dietary corn oil would decrease enteric methane production, increase the ME:DE ratio, and improve recovered energy (RE) in finishing beef steers. Four treatments were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square ( = 8; initial BW = 397 kg ± 3.8). Data were analyzed using a Mixed model with the fixed effects of period and dietary treatment and random effects of square and steer within square. Treatments consisted of: (1) 0% added corn oil (Fat-0); (2) 2% added corn oil (Fat-2); (3) 4% added corn oil (Fat-4); (4) 6% added corn oil (Fat-6). Dry matter intake or GE intake did not differ across diets ( ≥ 0.39). As a proportion of GE intake, fecal energy loss, DE, and urinary energy loss did not differ by treatment ( ≥ 0.27). Additionally, methane energy produced decreased linearly as corn oil increased in the diet ( < 0.01). No differences were detected in ME loss as a proportion of GE intake ( ≥ 0.98). However, the ME:DE ratio increased linearly ( < 0.01; 93.06, 94.10, 94.64, and 95.20 for Fat-0, Fat-2, Fat-4, and Fat-6, respectively) as corn oil inclusion increased in the diet. No differences in RE or heat production as a proportion of GE intake were noted ( ≥ 0.59) and dry matter digestibility did not differ across diets ( ≥ 0.36). Digestibility of NDF as a proportion of intake responded quadratically increasing from 0% corn to 4% corn oil and decreasing thereafter ( = 0.02). Furthermore, ether extract digestibility as a proportion of intake responded quadratically, increasing from 0% to 4% corn oil inclusion before reaching a plateau ( < 0.01). As a proportion of GE intake, RE as protein decreased linearly as corn oil was increased in the diet ( < 0.01). As a proportion of total energy retained, RE as protein decreased when corn oil increased from 0% to 6% of diet DM ( < 0.01). Similarly, RE as fat and carbohydrate as a proportion of GE intake increased linearly as corn oil increased in the diet ( = 0.05). From these data, we interpret that adding dietary fat decreases enteric methane production and increases the ME:DE ratio, in addition to increasing the amount of energy retained as fat and carbohydrate.

Differences in transcript abundance of genes on BTA15 located within a region associated with gain in beef steers.

Using results from a previous GWAS, we chose to evaluate seven genes located within a 229Kb region on BTA15 for variation in RNA transcript abundance in a library of tissue samples that included adipose, liver, rumen papillae, spleen, muscle, and small intestine epithelial layers from the duodenum, ileum and jejunum collected from steers (n = 14) with positive and negative residual GN near mean dry matter intake (DMI). The genes evaluated were two olfactory receptor-like genes (LOC525033 and LOC618173), RRM1, STIM1, RHOG, PGAP2, and NUP98. The rumen papillae transcript abundance of RHOG was positively correlated with residual GN (P = 0.02) and ruminal STIM1 exhibited a trend towards an association with residual GN (P = 0.08). The transcript abundance of one olfactory receptor (LOC618173) in the ileum was also positively associated with residual GN (P = 0.02) and PGAP2 and LOC525033 in the ileum displayed trends for association with GN (P ≤ 0.1). To further evaluate the differential expression detected in the ileum and rumen of these animals, the transcript abundance of STIM1 and RHOG in the rumen and of PGAP2 and the olfactory receptors in the ileum were assessed in an additional group of 32 animals with divergent average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) collected over two groups. The olfactory receptor, LOC525033, was not expressed in the ileum for the majority of these animals. Only RHOG showed a slight, but non-significant trend towards greater expression in animals with greater gain. We have detected differences in the transcript abundance of genes within this region in the rumen and ileum of animals selected for greater and less residual gain; however, we were unable to validate the expression of these genes in the larger group of cattle possibly due to the differences in phenotype or contemporary group.

Kinetics of splanchnic progesterone metabolism in ewes fed two levels of nutrition.

The objective of this study was to determine whether chronic nutritional treatment influences progesterone (P4) metabolism by splanchnic tissues and to develop a mathematical model of P4 metabolism in ewes. Five ovariectomized (ovx), multiparous ewes were assigned to a high feed intake and five multiparous ovx ewes were assigned to a low feed intake. The ewes with high feed intake received daily ME intakes of 99 kcal/BWkg.75, and the ewes with low intake received daily ME intakes of 63 kcal/BWkg.75. Catheters were placed surgically in the abdominal aorta, the portal vein, a branch of the hepatic vein, and a mesenteric vein. Blood and plasma flows across visceral organs were determined by marker dilution (p-aminohippuric acid), and P4 was determined with a RIA. The net splanchnic P4 flux and oxygen (O2) consumption were determined during five rates of P4 infusion into the jugular vein (112, 224, 449, 897, and 1,795 micrograms/h). Splanchnic O2 consumption was greater (P = .05) in the ewes with high feed intake. Net splanchnic P4 flux did not differ (P > .10) between nutritional treatments. The correlation between net splanchnic P4 flux and O2 consumption did not differ from zero (P = .69). Net splanchnic P4 flux was related linearly to plasma arterial P4 concentration. Splanchnic tissue clearance rate was 18% of the infusion rate. The behavior of the P4 model indicates that whole-body P4 metabolism is the sum of first-order kinetic reactions. The data indicate that splanchnic clearance of P4 is not affected by nutritional status.

Net uptakes of oestradiol-17 beta and progesterone across the portal-drained viscera and the liver of ewes.

The objective of this study was to determine whether circulating concentrations or prior exposure to estradiol-17 beta (OE2) and progesterone affected their uptake by splanchnic tissues. Catheters were surgically placed in the portal vein, a branch of the hepatic vein, a mesenteric vein and the abdominal aorta of three multiparous ovariectomized Dorset ewes. Blood and plasma flow across the portal-drained viscera (PDV) and the liver, and net uptake of OE2 and O2 consumption in these same tissues were determined in ovariectomized ewes (control), during OE2 infusion into the jugular vein, 7 days after an OE2 implant had been given, and during OE2 infusion into the jugular vein 7 days after an OE2 implant. The above treatments were repeated for progesterone. Plasma flows across visceral organs were determined by marker dilution (para-aminohippuric acid), and OE2 and progesterone concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. During the infusion with OE2, OE2 arterial concentration (mean +/- S.D.) was 346 +/- 199 pg/ml, PDV net uptake was 9.7 +/- 5.6 micrograms OE2/h and hepatic net uptake was 15.5 +/- 9.5 micrograms OE2/h. Hepatic uptake was 82% of the jugular OE2 infusion rate. Blood flow and oxygen consumption by hepatic tissue increased when ewes were exposed to an OE2 implant for 7 days. During the infusion with progesterone, progesterone arterial concentration (mean +/- S.D.) was 8.8 +/- 3.4 ng/ml, PDV net uptake was 220 +/- 118 micrograms progesterone/h and hepatic net uptake was 238 +/- 52 micrograms progesterone/h. Hepatic net uptake was 23% of the progesterone jugular infusion rate.