This episode of Have You Herd? is brought to you by the AABP Genetics and Genomics Committee. Our guest host is Dr. Stewart Bauck, and he is joined by Dr. Jack Britt to discuss epigenetics. Epigenetics is part of the normal and natural genetic process where certain genes are turned on or off. Britt discusses how environmental impacts can impact these processes of methylation or acetylation of histone proteins. A primary example is heat stress. Studies have shown that heat stress in a pregnant dam can affect three generations by impacting the cow, the fetus and the gonads of the fetus.  Another example given was the stress at weaning or transitioning to a grain-based diet can affect the expression of certain sequences of genes. We discuss areas where veterinarians can become involved in these discussions with clients. Looking at periods of stress in an animal’s life can impact not only the animal during the stressful event but the ability of the animal to have optimal health and productivity into the future as well as their offspring if they are pregnant or a breeding animal. Time periods that are commonly stressful events include the dry period or dry period length, transition periods, and heat stress events. Veterinarians should work with their clients to minimize these stressful events.  

Genomics is a rapidly expanding area of research and development in the beef and dairy industry. The ability to detect sequence changes as well as how methylation or acetylation impacts gene expression as well as how to detect these changes continues to be developed. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, we encourage you to view the resources on the AABP Genetics and Genomics Committee page. AABP members who are interested in joining the Genetics and Genomics Committee can contact the committee by visiting this page.  

Relevant papers:
Metabolic and antioxidant status during transition is associated with changes in the granulosa cell transcriptome in the preovulatory follicle in high-producing dairy cows at the time of breeding
Waleed F.A. Marei, Jessie De Bie, Inne Xhonneux, Silke Andries, Jack H. Britt, Jo L.M.R. Leroy
J Dairy Sci, Vol 105, Issue 8, August 2022