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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424602
Research Project: Optimizing Nutrient Management and Efficiency of Beef Cattle and Swine

Location: Nutrition, Growth and Physiology

Title: The impact of nutritional planes and one-carbon metabolite supplementation during early pregnancy on phosphorylated p38 MAPK abundance in the bovine maternal liver

Author
item HOOKER, KELSEY - North Dakota State University
item DANESHI, MOJTABA - North Dakota State University
item SYRING, JESSICA - North Dakota State University
item ENTZIE, YSSI - North Dakota State University
item KING, LAYLA - University Of Minnesota Crookston
item ANAS, MUHAMMAD - North Dakota State University
item HIRCHERT, MARA - North Dakota State University
item Crouse, Matthew
item WARD, ALISON - University Of Saskatchewan
item DAHLEN, CARL - North Dakota State University
item MONTGOMERY, VIRGINIA - North Dakota State University
item BOROWICZ, PAWEL - North Dakota State University
item CATON, JOEL - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science Supplement
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2025
Publication Date: 10/4/2025
Citation: Hooker, K.R., Daneshi, M., Syring, J.G., Entzie, Y.L., King, L.E., Anas, M., Hirchert, M.R., Crouse, M.S., Ward, A.K., Dahlen, C.R., Montgomery, V., Borowicz, P.P., Caton, J.S. 2025. The impact of nutritional planes and one-carbon metabolite supplementation during early pregnancy on phosphorylated p38 MAPK abundance in the bovine maternal liver [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 103(Supplement 3):438. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.499.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.499

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nutritional planes and one-carbon metabolite (OCM) supplementation during early pregnancy on the abundance of phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) in the maternal liver at day 260 of gestation. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used with two nutritional planes; control (CON; 0.45 kg/d) and restricted (RES; -0.23 kg/d), with or without OCM supplementation (+/- OCM). Crossbred Angus beef heifers were synchronized for estrus and bred via artificial insemination using single-sire female-sexed semen. At breeding, heifers were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments (n = 8 ± 1 per group). Nutritional treatments were administered from day 0 to day 63 of gestation, after which all heifers were provided a common diet (0.45 kg/d gain). OCM-supplemented groups received daily rumen-protected methionine (7.4 g/d), choline (44.4 g/d) in a corn carrier, and weekly injections of folate (320 mg) and vitamin B12 (20 mg), while non-supplemented groups received only the corn carrier and saline injections. Maternal liver samples were collected at day 260 of gestation and analyzed via anti-phosphorylated p38 MAPK immunofluorescence, with image analysis performed using ImagePro-Premiere software. There was no nutritional plane x OCM interaction (P = 0.28), and p-p38 MAPK abundance did not differ (P = 0.13) between nutritional planes. However, heifers receiving OCM supplementation had a 54.75% higher (P = 0.02) p-p38 MAPK density per cell compared to non-supplemented heifers. These findings suggest that OCM may play a critical role in modulating cellular signaling pathways, particularly p38 MAPK, which is involved in stress responses, inflammation, metabolic regulation, cellular proliferation and differentiation. The increased activation of p38 MAPK in OCM-supplemented heifers may reflect improved hepatic function or adaptive responses to the physiological demands of pregnancy, potentially supporting maternal metabolic adaptation and fetal development. Further research is warranted to explore the downstream effects of enhanced p38 MAPK signaling and its broader impact on pregnancy outcomes.