Effects of Feeding 60% Dried Corn Distillers’ Grains or the Equivalent Sulfur as CaSO<sub>4</sub> on DNA Integrity and Gene Expression in Yearling Angus Bull Sperm
Cierrah J. Kassetas,
Tom W. Geary,
Abby L. Zezeski,
Joel S. Caton,
James D. Kirsch,
Sheri T. Dorsam,
Wellison J. S. Diniz,
Kacie L. McCarthy,
Matthew S. Crouse,
Kevin K. Sedivec,
Bryan W. Neville,
Carl R. Dahlen
Affiliations
Cierrah J. Kassetas
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
Tom W. Geary
Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture—Agriculture Research Service, Miles City, MT 59301, USA
Abby L. Zezeski
Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture—Agriculture Research Service, Miles City, MT 59301, USA
Joel S. Caton
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
James D. Kirsch
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
Sheri T. Dorsam
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
Wellison J. S. Diniz
Department of Animal Science, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
Kacie L. McCarthy
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
Matthew S. Crouse
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
Kevin K. Sedivec
Central Grasslands Research and Extension Center, North Dakota State University, Streeter, ND 58483, USA
Bryan W. Neville
Carrington Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, Carrington, ND 58421, USA
Carl R. Dahlen
Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
We evaluated the effects of feeding 60% dried corn distillers’ grains plus solubles (DDGS) or the equivalent sulfur as CaSO4 on sperm characteristics and transcript abundance. Thirty-six half-sibling Angus bulls (256 ± 8.5 d; initial BW = 320 ± 2.7 kg) were assigned to one of three treatments: (1) 60% concentrate as corn (CON); (2) 60% DDGS as corn replacement (60DDGS); and (3) CON diet + equivalent sulfur of 60DDGS added as CaSO4 (SULF). The acrosome/cell membrane integrity, mitochondrial energy potential, oxidation status, DNA integrity, and zinc signatures were analyzed via flow cytometry. Sperm-specific gene expression was assessed via RNA sequencing. The flow cytometry data were analyzed using PROC MIXED in SAS to determine the effects of treatment. Pairwise comparisons based on edgeR were used to identify differentially expressed genes. The percentage of polarized mitochondria tended to be greater (p = 0.08) for SULF compared with CON and 60DDGS. Protamine 1 was upregulated (p p = 0.03) compared to CON. This study suggests that feeding bulls diets containing 60% DDGS had little effect on DNA integrity and gene expression.
