Understanding the metabolism of the dairy cow

奶牛在泌乳初期会经历能量需求的突然激增，因为葡萄糖被优先分配到乳腺来产奶。分娩前后采食量的显著下降加剧了这种情况。像所有生物一样，当能源经济在局部或系统上发生变化时，会对其他过程产生影响。为了满足对牛奶的需求而剧烈地重新分配能量，常常导致代谢紊乱、脂肪酸动员过度、脂肪肝和免疫反应减弱。同样，当能量利用失调时，人类也会患上代谢性疾病。线粒体是将营养物质转化为能量的核心，并具有适应不同燃料来源的能力。线粒体适应已被证明在人类和其他物种的许多代谢、脂质和免疫紊乱中起关键作用。此外，线粒体和核DNA之间的通讯在表观遗传控制中越来越被认为是重要的，从而影响代谢功能。这个项目的目的是探索线粒体如何适应奶牛的能量需求，目的是确定干预的领域；可减轻代谢性疾病负担并改善福利和工作表现的营养、管理或遗传策略。

The dairy cow experiences an abrupt surge in energy demand at the onset of lactation, as glucose is prioritised to the mammary gland for milk production. This is exacerbated by a pronounced decline in feed intake around parturition. Like all organisms when energy economics shift either locally or systemically there are consequences for other processes. The intense reallocation of energy to meet milk requirements often results in metabolic disorders, excessive fatty acid mobilisation, fatty liver and a diminished immune response. Similarly, humans experience metabolic disease when energy utilization becomes dysregulated. The mitochondrion is central to the conversion of nutrients to energy and has an ability to adapt to different fuel sources. Mitochondrial adaptation has shown to be pivotal in many metabolic, lipid and immune disorders in humans and other species. Moreover, the communication between the mitochondrion and nuclear DNA is increasingly being recognised as important in epigenetic control, thus influencing metabolic functionality. The aim of this project is to explore how the mitochondrion adapts to energy demands in the dairy cow, with the aim to identify areas of intervention; nutritional, management or genetic strategies which would reduce the burden of metabolic disease and improve welfare and performance.