Stage-specific nutritional management and developmental programming to optimize meat production.

Over the past few decades, genetic selection and refined nutritional management have extensively been used to increase the growth rate and lean meat production of livestock. However, the rapid growth rates of modern breeds are often accompanied by a reduction in intramuscular fat deposition and increased occurrences of muscle abnormalities, impairing meat quality and processing functionality. Early stages of animal development set the long-term growth trajectory of offspring. However, due to the seasonal reproductive cycles of ruminant livestock, gestational nutrient deficiencies caused by seasonal variations, frequent droughts, and unfavorable geological locations negatively affect fetal development and their subsequent production efficiency and meat quality. Therefore, enrolling livestock in nutritional intervention strategies during gestation is effective for improving the body composition and meat quality of the offspring at harvest. These crucial early developmental stages include embryonic, fetal, and postnatal stages, which have stage-specific effects on subsequent offspring development, body composition, and meat quality. This review summarizes contemporary research in the embryonic, fetal, and neonatal development, and the impacts of maternal nutrition on the early development and programming effects on the long-term growth performance of livestock. Understanding the developmental and metabolic characteristics of skeletal muscle, adipose, and fibrotic tissues will facilitate the development of stage-specific nutritional management strategies to optimize production efficiency and meat quality.

Obesity Impairs Embryonic Myogenesis by Enhancing BMP Signaling within the Dermomyotome.

Obesity during pregnancy leads to adverse health outcomes in offspring. However, the initial effects of maternal obesity (MO) on embryonic organogenesis have yet to be thoroughly examined. Using unbiased single-cell transcriptomic analyses (scRNA-seq), the effects of MO on the myogenic process is investigated in embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) mouse embryos. The results suggest that MO induces systematic hypoxia, which is correlated with enhanced BMP signaling and impairs skeletal muscle differentiation within the dermomyotome (DM). The Notch-signaling effectors, HES1 and HEY1, which also act down-stream of BMP signaling, suppress myogenic differentiation through transcriptionally repressing the important myogenic regulator MEF2C. Moreover, the major hypoxia effector, HIF1A, enhances expression of HES1 and HEY1 and blocks myogenic differentiation in vitro. In summary, this data demonstrate that MO induces hypoxia and impairs myogenic differentiation by up-regulating BMP signaling within the DM, which may account for the disruptions of skeletal muscle development and function in progeny.

Animal development in the secondary classroom: linking basic science to livestock production.

The field of life sciences encompasses a myriad of disciplines that collectively provide insight toward the intrinsic framework of life. Developmental physiology is one of these disciplines that can describe the origins of life at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal level. However, organismal development is a continual process that transcends conception and progresses throughout the lifetime of an organism. In this Illumination, we discuss opportunities that secondary-level life science educators have when teaching developmental physiology through an agricultural lens. Specifically, we propose teaching about the origins of meat and milk, as a nontraditional approach for introducing developmental physiology to students. To justify this notion, we explore how novel research in livestock production focuses on meeting food demands imposed by our growing global population. In addition, we link these concepts to commonly employed standards in secondary-level science classrooms across the United States. In conclusion, the science of livestock production provides a window of opportunity for secondary-level physiology instructors to teach developmental physiology in a form that can readily adhere to institutionally employed standards.

Using e-notebooks to explore biochemistry with an agricultural lens.

The interdisciplinary subject of agricultural biochemistry can provide an abundance of didactic opportunities for educators teaching biochemistry and molecular biology in secondary-level science courses. This is especially true in present times when virtual-learning strategies supersede in-person instruction and contemporary approaches are needed to engage students with relevant applications of science. In this communication, we discuss how pairing daily lessons in agricultural biochemistry with periodic e-notebook usage further refines this strategy by promoting content-retrieval and providing educators with formative feedback on student progress in a simple and inexpensive manner.

From blood to milk: Graphical systems modeling in secondary-level biochemistry courses.

Given the present need for biochemistry and molecular biology educators to transform their courses into an online format, novel methods aimed at promoting student learning and engagement must be considered. Herein, we describe the integration of graphical systems modeling as a tool for introducing biochemistry to secondary-level students. We propose the use of graphic technologies as a way for students to create systems models that describe phenomena of life, such as lactation. Through these endeavors, educators can provide a virtual format for students to continue learning and completing assignments.