Milk fatty acid (FA) synthesis by the mammary gland involves expression of a large number of genes whose nutritional regulation remains poorly defined. In this study, we examined the effect of long-term under- and over-feeding on the expression of genes (acetyl Co A carboxylase, ACC; fatty acid synthetase, FAS; lipoprotein lipase, LPL; stearoyl Co A desaturase, SCD; peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ2, PPARγ2; sterol regulatory element binding protein-1, SREBP-1c; and hormone sensitive lipase, HSL) related to FA metabolism in sheep mammary tissue (MT). Twenty-four lactating sheep were divided into three homogenous sub-groups and fed the same ration in quantities covering 70% (underfeeding), 100% (control) and 130% (overfeeding) of their energy and crude protein requirements. The results showed a significant reduction of mRNA of ACC, FAS, LPL and SCD in the MT of underfed sheep, and a significant increase on the mRNA of LPL and SREBP-1c in the MT of overfed compared with the control respectively. In conclusion, the negative, compared to positive, energy balance in sheep down-regulates ACC, FAS, LPL, SCD, SREBP-1c and PPARγ2 expression in their MT which indicates that the decrease in nutrient availability may lead to lower rates of lipid synthesis.
Keywords: Underfeeding; lipogenic gene; overfeeding; sheep.