Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T11:56:21.572Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Food intake, growth and body composition in Australian Merino sheep selected for high and low weaning weight 5. Adipocyte volume and number in the dissected fat partitions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. M. Thompson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
R. M. Butterfield
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
K. J. Reddacliff
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Get access

Abstract

The cellular characteristics of dissected carcass (subcutaneous and intermuscular fat) and non-carcass (kidney fat, omental and mesenteric fat) fat partitions were examined at maturity in a total of 34 rams and ewes from flocks of Peppin Merino sheep selected for high (weight-plus) or low (weight-minus) weaning weight and from a randomly bred control flock. Strain and sex effects on the rate of change in adipocyte volume in each fat partition relative to the change in chemical-fat weight in that partition, were examined in 60 immature animals.

Selection for high or low weaning weight had no effect on adipocyte volume in the mature animals, with the increased weight of fat in the weight-plus animals due to an increased number of adipocytes in the dissected fat partitions. Consequently, hyperplasia had a greater contribution to increases in chemical-fat weight in the weight-plus, compared with the weight-minus animals.

Mature ewes had larger and fewer adipocytes in the subcutaneous and intermuscular partitions than the mature rams, whereas there was no difference between the sexes in adipocyte volume in the kidney, omental and mesenteric fat partitions. Mature ewes had fewer adipocytes than the mature rams in the subcutaneous, intermuscular, omental and mesenteric fat partitions. With the exception of the kidney fat partition, there was no sex effect on the relative contribution of hypertrophy to increases in chemical-fat weight of the dissected carcass and non-carcass fat partitions.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allen, C. E., Beitz, D. C., Cramer, D. A. and Kauffman, R. G. 1976. Biology of fat in meat animals. North Central Regional Research Publication No. 234. University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.Google Scholar
Broad, T. E., Davies, A. S. and Tan, G. Y. 1980. Pre- and postnatal study of the carcass growth of sheep. 2. The cellular growth of adipose tissues. Animal Production 31: 7379.Google Scholar
Cartwright, A. L., Prince, T. J. and Kuhlers, D. L. 1984. Effects of selection for body weight at 200 days of age on adipose cellularity in swine. Journal of Animal Science 59: Suppl. 1, p. 209 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Cianzio, D. S., Topel, D. G., Whitehurst, G. B., Beitz, D. C. and Self, H. L. 1985. Adipose tissue growth and cellularity: Changes in bovine adipocyte size and number. Journal of Animal Science 60: 970976.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eisen, E. J., Hayes, J. F., Allen, C. E., Barker, H. and Nagai, J. 1978. Cellular characteristics of gonadal fat pads, livers and kidneys in two strains of mice selected for rapid growth. Growth 42: 725.Google ScholarPubMed
Ensor, M. and Wood, J. D. 1978. The development of adipose tissue in cattle. In Patterns of Growth and Development in Cattle (ed. Boer, H. De and Martin, I.), pp. 243253. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hood, R. L. 1977. Cellularity of adipose tissue during post-natal development. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 2: 4352.Google Scholar
Hood, R. L. and Allen, C. E. 1973. Cellularity of bovine adipose tissue. Journal of Lipid Research 14: 605610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hood, R. L. and Allen, C. E. 1977. Cellularity of porcine adipose tissue: effects of growth and adiposity. Journal of Lipid Research 18: 275284.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hood, R. L. and Pym, R. A. E. 1982. Correlated responses for lipogenesis and adipose cellularity in chickens selected for body weight gain, food consumption and food conversion efficiency. Poultry Science 61: 122127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hood, R. L. and Thornton, R. F. 1979. The cellularity of ovine adipose tissue. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 30: 153161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klyde, B. J. and Hirsch, J. 1979. Increased cellular proliferation in adipose tissue of adult rats fed a high-fat diet. Journal of Lipid Research 20: 705715.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, R., White, J., Herbein, J. and Ezekwe, M. O. 1979. Muscle and adipose cell development in mice selected for post-weaning growth rate. Growth 43: 167173.Google Scholar
Pattie, W. A. 1965. Selection for weaning weight in Merino sheep. 1. Direct response to selection. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 5: 353360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robelin, J. 1981. Cellularity of bovine adipose tissue: developmental changes from 15 to 65 per cent of-mature weight. Journal of Lipid Research 22: 452457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, St C. S. 1980. Genetically standardized growth equations. Animal Production 30: 167175.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. M. and Butterfield, R. M. 1988. Changes in body composition relative to weight and maturity of Australian Dorset Horn rams and wethers. 4. Adipocyte volume and number in dissected fat partitions. Animal Production 46: 387393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, J. M., Butterfield, R. M. and Perry, D. 1985a. Food intake, growth and body composition in Australian Merino sheep selected for high and low weaning weight. 2. Chemical and dissectible body composition. Animal Production 40: 7184.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. M., Butterfield, R. M. and Perry, D. 1987. Food intake, growth and body composition in Australian Merino sheep selected for high and low weaning weight. 4. Partitioning of dissected and chemical fat in the body. Animal Production 45: 4960.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. M., Parks, J. R. and Perry, D. 1985b. Food intake, growth and body composition in Australian Merino sheep selected for high and low weaning weight. 1. Food intake, food efficiency and growth. Animal Production 40: 5570.Google Scholar
Truscott, T. G., Wood, J. D. and Denny, H. R. 1983. Fat deposition in Hereford and Friesian steers. 2. Cellular development of the major fat depots. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100: 271276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Usher, C. D., Green, C. J. and Smith, C. A. 1973. The rapid determination of fat in various foods using the Foss-let density apparatus. Journal of Food Technology 8: 429437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar