Omics & gene networks

Proteomic analysis of the effect of weaning age on the skeletal muscle in beef cattle

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Abstract

Early weaning is an effective practice justified by its positive effects on the reproductive performance of dams. However, it can negatively affect growth performance and welfare in calves. Despite these known effects, the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of pasture-raised cattle to early weaning remain largely unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the impact of weaning age on the Longissimus thoracis muscle of male Nellore cattle at the end of the finishing phase using a proteomic approach. The study included 30 male Nellore calves allocated to paddocks of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu, with 15 weaned at 120 days of age (WA120) and 15 at 240 days of age (WA240), all receiving daily creep-feeding supplementation at 5 g/kg body weight (as fed) from 40 to 240 days of age. After 240 days of age, all animals received concentrate feed at 10 g/kg body weight per day, and during the finishing phase, they were offered concentrate feed ad libitum. At the end of the experiment, the WA120 group showed lower mean values for both hot carcass weight (307 kg vs. 335 kg) and ribeye area (85.2 cm² vs. 93.4 cm²) compared with the WA240 group, emphasizing the importance of weaning age on animal performance. Samples from L. thoracis muscle were collected at the end of the finishing phase (18 months of age), and a subset of 16 samples (8 from each group) were used for proteomic analysis by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Proteins with a log-fold change ≥ 0.58 or ≤ -0.58 (P ABCC3 (folate transport and metabolism, lipid metabolism, and steroid metabolism), CLCN2 (mineral absorption), NOD2 (intestinal stem cell homeostasis and host-mediated regulation of intestinal microbiota composition), SAR1B (regulation of lipid transport and cellular response to leucine starvation), OR2G1 (detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of smell), as well as proteins associated with immune system processes (MAVS, NOD2, PSMC5, and SAR1B). The results obtained in this study shed light on key proteins and their roles in critical molecular mechanisms that may be responsible for the differences observed in animal performance according to weaning age.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Stafuzza, N., David, G., Domingos, B., Pereira, L., Abreu, M., Assunção, R., Resende, F., Siqueira, G., Lourenco, D. & Paz, C., (2026) “Proteomic analysis of the effect of weaning age on the skeletal muscle in beef cattle”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2284034. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.23547

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