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Journal of animal science2025; 103; skaf060; doi: 10.1093/jas/skaf060

Late gestation maternal overnutrition alters gene expression and histomorphology in neonatal foal testes.

Abstract: Reproductive health of male offspring following perturbations in maternal nutrition is not well-described in the horse; therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of maternal overnutrition on neonatal foal testicular development. Sixteen Quarter Horse mares were used in a completely randomized design and stratified by expected foaling date, body weight, and body condition score into 1 of 2 dietary treatments beginning on gestational day 235: control (CON; n = 8) fed to meet nutrient requirements and overfed (HIGH; n = 8) fed 40% above CON. At 5 h postpartum, foals were euthanized, and testes from male foals were harvested, weighed, and stored for analyses. Samples were numerically coded in a blinded fashion and processed randomly to eliminate bias. Histomorphometric evaluations were performed following a hematoxylin & eosin stain and evaluated using ImageJ. All data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS v9.4. Horse within treatment served as a random effect, with a main effect of treatment. For RNA sequencing, differential gene expression analysis used DESeq2 1.20.0 R package to compare gene expression levels between CON and HIGH, and P-values were adjusted using the Benjamini-Hochberg correction. The threshold for significance was set at P ≤ 0.05 with trends toward significance at 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10, with sequencing data using adjusted P-values. Stringency was set to include differentially expressed genes with an unadjusted P-value < 0.05 for pathway enrichment analysis. Testes from HIGH foals (n = 4) were 61% heavier than testes from CON foals (n = 4; P < 0.01). There was no difference in individual seminiferous tubule area (P = 0.76) or Sertoli cell number within tubule (P = 0.57); however, testes from HIGH foals had 2.3 times fewer tubules per 10× magnification field than CON foals (P = 0.01). Further, tubules represented a lesser percentage of image area relative to interstitial tissue in testes from HIGH foals (P = 0.05). RNA sequencing revealed 56 differentially expressed genes between HIGH and CON testes (P-adjusted < 0.05). Differentially expressed genes represented biological processes related to steroidogenesis, cell regulation, and energy metabolism. Thus, late gestation maternal overnutrition alters fetal testicular development with potential long-term implications for reproductive function. Equine breeders are greatly impacted by the reproductive success of their herds, yet little attention is given to reproductive efficiency when selecting equine breeding stock. Lack of selection for reproductive parameters can be further exacerbated by suboptimal management, including overfeeding. Obesity and overfeeding are common in the equine industry, yet little is known about how maternal overnutrition may impact foal reproductive health. This study explores the implications of late-term maternal overnutrition on morphology and gene expression in the testes of neonatal foals. Briefly, 16 Quarter Horse mares were bred to the same stallion and randomly assigned into 1 of 2 dietary treatments beginning on day 235 of gestation: a control group meeting dietary requirements and an overfed group fed 40% above control. Tissues from 8 resulting male foals (4/treatment) were collected and preserved for analyses. Findings of this study indicate that industry-standard elevated late gestation nutrition causes changes in histomorphology and gene expression in neonatal foal testes, including increased testes size but fewer seminiferous tubules in foals from overfed dams, as well as altered expression of genes related to cell regulation, energy metabolism, and steroidogenesis. These results indicate potential for long-term implications via reduced offspring reproductive potential in horses.
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Publication Date: 2025-03-04 PubMed ID: 40036360PubMed Central: PMC11971635DOI: 10.1093/jas/skaf060Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This study investigated how overfeeding pregnant mares late in gestation affects the development of testes in their newborn male foals.
  • The research found that maternal overnutrition caused significant changes in both the size and microscopic structure of the foal testes, as well as in the expression of genes linked to reproductive function.

Study Purpose and Background

  • The reproductive health of male horse offspring related to maternal nutrition is not well understood.
  • Obesity and overfeeding in horses are common, yet the effects of maternal overnutrition on foal reproductive development have not been sufficiently studied.
  • The study aimed to assess the impact of increased maternal nutrition late in pregnancy on neonatal foal testicular development.

Methods

  • Subjects: 16 pregnant Quarter Horse mares bred to the same stallion.
  • Design: Completely randomized, stratified by expected foaling date, body weight, and body condition score.
  • Treatments:
    • Control (CON) group: fed to meet normal nutrient requirements.
    • High nutrition (HIGH) group: fed 40% more than control starting from day 235 of gestation.
  • Sample Collection:
    • At 5 hours after birth, male foals were euthanized.
    • Testes were collected, weighed, and stored for analysis.
  • Analysis:
    • Histomorphometry using hematoxylin & eosin staining and ImageJ software.
    • RNA sequencing to assess differential gene expression using DESeq2.
    • Statistical analysis using mixed models accounting for horse within treatment as a random effect.
    • Significance thresholds: P ≤ 0.05, with trends noted up to P ≤ 0.10; adjusted P-values used for gene expression data.

Key Findings

  • Testis Size:
    • Foals from overfed mares had testes 61% heavier than those from control mares (P < 0.01).
  • Microscopic Structure:
    • No significant difference in the size (area) of individual seminiferous tubules or number of Sertoli cells per tubule between groups.
    • However, HIGH foal testes had 2.3 times fewer seminiferous tubules per microscope field compared to CON (P = 0.01).
    • The proportion of testis area occupied by tubules was less, with more interstitial tissue in HIGH foals (P = 0.05).
  • Gene Expression:
    • RNA sequencing identified 56 genes differentially expressed between the HIGH and CON groups (adjusted P < 0.05).
    • These genes are involved in biological processes including:
      • Steroid hormone production (steroidogenesis).
      • Cell regulation and development.
      • Energy metabolism.

Interpretation and Implications

  • Maternal overnutrition during late pregnancy altered fetal testicular development in male foals.
  • Despite heavier testes, the fewer seminiferous tubules suggest potential compromises in spermatogenic capacity or testicular function.
  • Altered gene expression related to steroid production and metabolism implies possible long-term impacts on reproductive hormone balance and fertility.
  • For equine breeders, these findings imply that excessive feeding late in gestation could reduce reproductive potential in offspring.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of managing mare nutrition to optimize reproductive health in foals.

Summary

  • Overfeeding mares late in pregnancy resulted in larger but structurally altered testes in neonatal foals.
  • This morphological change, coupled with shifts in gene expression, points toward potentially reduced reproductive efficiency in male offspring.
  • The research highlights a novel consideration for equine management practices focusing on reproductive outcomes beyond just general foal health.

Cite This Article

APA
Trauner AM, McCoski SR, Satterfield MC, Bradbery AN. (2025). Late gestation maternal overnutrition alters gene expression and histomorphology in neonatal foal testes. J Anim Sci, 103, skaf060. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf060

Publication

Journal of animal science
ISSN: 1525-3163
NlmUniqueID: 8003002
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 103
PII: skaf060

Researcher Affiliations

Trauner, Alex M
  • Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
McCoski, Sarah R
  • Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
Satterfield, M Carey
  • Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Bradbery, Amanda N
  • Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses / physiology
  • Male
  • Female
  • Testis / growth & development
  • Testis / metabolism
  • Testis / pathology
  • Overnutrition / veterinary
  • Pregnancy
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Diet / veterinary
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Horse Diseases
  • Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
  • Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
  • Animal Feed / analysis

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors confirm no conflicts of interest regarding the current work.

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