Intergenerational effects of early life protein restriction on adipose tissue development as revealed by sheep transcriptomic analyses

Adipose tissue is central to energy homeostasis and may be affected by dietary restrictions in both the individual and its offspring. This study investigated the impact of nutritional protein restriction (NPR) in prepubertal ewes on the adipose tissue transcriptome of their offspring, which included lambs with high and low carcass fat deposition levels. RNA-Seq was performed on perirenal fat from 8 lambs born to protein-restricted mothers (MNPR group) and 8 lambs to control mothers (C group). Differential gene expression analyses were conducted between high- and low-fatness lambs within each group, followed by a meta-analysis to identify genes associated with fat deposition (Core-DEGs) and those responsive to maternal protein restriction (MNPR-responsive DEGs). Functional enrichment of the 219 Core-DEGs revealed that fatness correlated with distinct stages of adipose tissue development: Core-High DEGs were linked to vascularization, whereas Core-Low DEGs reflected ongoing adipogenesis. The 215 MNPR-responsive DEGs indicated that maternal restriction, regardless of fatness level, promotes postnatal adipogenesis and enhances the adipogenic potential of the offspring. This study provides transcriptomic evidence of the intergenerational impact of a prepubertal dietary restriction in ewes on early postnatal adipogenesis in their offspring, with translational relevance for livestock management and potential implications in other species, including humans.