Methionine supplementation during early post-natal life of ewe lambs: Developmental programming of the female offspring and effects on the first lactation

Methionine supplementation during the suckling period of ewe lambs may modify DNA methylation in the germline (F0) during this critical window period for the neonate. This circumstance may promote the intergenerational transmission of epigenetic marks to the offspring (F1), thus altering the expression of specific genes and physiological traits throughout F1 life. To test this hypothesis, 27 newborn ewe lambs (F1) born from either ewes being supplemented 0.1 % methionine (dry matter basis) during the suckling period (F0-MET) or not supplemented (F0-CTRL) were assigned to two different groups (F1-CTRL, n = 13 and F1-MET, n = 14), being the dietary treatment of their mothers (F0) the only source of variation. Thus, all the F1 animals (both groups) were raised exactly in the same way along the whole life (including lactation). In this study, we determined differences in the global blood methylation patterns, biochemical profile, and metabolome of female offspring (F1).