{"id":16911,"date":"2026-08-21T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T10:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/portfolio\/yapin-wang\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T12:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T10:06:08","slug":"yapin-wang","status":"publish","type":"us_portfolio","link":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/portfolio\/yapin-wang\/","title":{"rendered":"Yapin Wang"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":true},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":true},"author":8,"featured_media":16912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"us_portfolio_category":[45],"class_list":["post-16911","us_portfolio","type-us_portfolio","status-publish","post-password-required","hentry","us_portfolio_category-new-template"],"acf":{"main_text":"","naam_van_het_proefschift":"From mother to daughter","samenvatting":"Bij melkvee is de dracht een kritieke periode voor de foetale ontwikkeling. In eerdere studies zijn de condities van de moederkoe tijdens de dracht, waaronder pariteit, melkproductieniveau, voeding en gezondheid, in verband gebracht met de groei, immuniteit en het metabolisme van het kalf tijdens de vroege levensfase. Specifiek hadden moederkoeien met een hogere pariteit, een hogere melkopbrengst, een hoger lichaamsgewicht of een betere gezondheid tijdens de dracht de neiging om zwaardere kalveren te werpen voor het spenen, of kalveren met een betere vruchtbaarheid tijdens de opfokfase. Er zijn echter weinig studies die de relaties tussen moederkenmerken tijdens de dracht en de nakomelingen tijdens latere levensfasen, zoals een lacterende vaars, hebben onderzocht. De hypothese is dat moederlijke condities tijdens de dracht niet alleen de ontwikkeling van de nakomelingen tijdens het vroege leven be\u00efnvloeden, maar ook langdurige effecten kunnen hebben op de prestaties van de nakomelingen later in het leven.\n\nIn de melkveehouderij is het verlengen van de tussenkalftijd (CInt) door de inseminatie uit te stellen een strategie om de vruchtbaarheid en de metabole status te verbeteren door koeien meer tijd te geven om te herstellen van de vorige kalving tijdens de paringsperiode. Bijgevolg kunnen hun nakomelingen profiteren van een verbeterde prenatale omgeving in utero in termen van een betere metabole status, een betere vruchtbaarheid en een lagere melkproductie. De fysiologische conditie van de koe rond de dracht be\u00efnvloedt niet alleen de intra-uteriene omgeving, maar ook de kwantiteit en kwaliteit van de biest (colostrum). Biest, gesynthetiseerd tijdens de laatste 3-4 weken voor het kalven, dient als eerste voer voor pasgeboren kalveren en speelt een cruciale rol in hun vroege ontwikkeling. Daarom kan worden verondersteld dat de invloed van moederkenmerken tijdens de preconceptie- en drachtperiode op de prestaties van nakomelingen niet alleen het gevolg is van hun impact op de baarmoederomgeving, maar ook direct na de geboorte via de biest wordt gemedieerd.\n\nDe doelstellingen van dit proefschrift waren daarom 1) het evalueren van de effecten van de tussenkalftijd van de moeder op de prestaties van de nakomelingen vanaf de geboorte tot de lactatie, 2) het evalueren van de relaties tussen moederkenmerken tijdens de preconceptie- en drachtperiode en de prestaties van de nakomelingen vanaf de geboorte tot de lactatie, 3) het evalueren van de relaties tussen moederkenmerken in de vorige lactatie en de biestproductie. Ten slotte wordt de driehoeksrelatie tussen de moederkoe, de biest en het nakomeling besproken door te beoordelen welke relaties tussen koe-kenmerken en nakomelingen verklaard kunnen worden door effecten op de biestkenmerken.\n\nOm deze doelen te bestuderen zijn een dierexperiment en een observationele studie uitgevoerd. In het dierexperiment werden 154 melkkoeien in een gerandomiseerd blokontwerp toegewezen aan inseminatie na 50, 125 of 200 dagen na de laatste kalving om een contrast in tussenkalftijden te cre\u00ebren, en gemonitord gedurende een volledige lactatie. Na het kalven werden de vrouwelijke nakomelingen gevolgd vanaf de geboorte tot 100 dagen in lactatie (DIM) van hun eerste lactatie. Moeders en kalveren werden in 3 groepen verdeeld op basis van de werkelijke tussenkalftijd van de moeder. In de observationele studie met 802 melkkoeien werden de biestopbrengst en de Brix-waarde ge\u00ebvalueerd in relatie tot koe- en kalfgerelateerde factoren.\n\nHoofdstuk 2 onderzocht de effecten van de tussenkalftijd op nakomelingen van de geboorte tot 100 DIM. Kalveren van moeders met een korte tussenkalftijd hadden meer natuurlijke antilichamen en hogere NEFA-concentraties voor het spenen. Hoofdstuk 3 toonde aan dat moederlijke kenmerken voor de bevruchting een sterke en blijvende invloed kunnen hebben op nakomelingen, vooral tijdens hun eigen lactatie. Hoofdstuk 4 gebruikte metabolomics om aan te tonen dat moeders met een lange tussenkalftijd metabolische profielen hadden die meer leken op die van hun kalveren. Hoofdstuk 5 onderzocht de rol van biest en vond dat een betere moederlijke energiebalans leidde tot betere biestkwaliteit en hogere antilichaamniveaus bij het kalf. Hoofdstuk 6 identificeerde factoren die de biestopbrengst en -kwaliteit be\u00efnvloeden, zoals melkopbrengst in de vorige lactatie en kalverseizoen.\n\nConcluderend heeft dit proefschrift aangetoond dat moederkenmerken tijdens de dracht langdurige relaties hebben met de fysiologie en prestaties van hun nakomelingen. Biest speelt een belangrijke rol in het medi\u00ebren van deze relaties. Ge\u00efntegreerde managementstrategie\u00ebn moeten de moederkoe erkennen als een sleutelfactor voor nakomelingenprestaties over hun gehele leven.","summary":"In dairy cattle, gestation is a critical period for fetal development. In earlier studies, dam conditions during gestation, including parity, milk production level, nutrition, and health, have been related to calf growth, immunity and metabolism during early life of the calf. Specifically, dams with higher parity, greater milk yield, higher body weight, or better health during gestation tended to have heavier calves before weaning, or had calves with better fertility during rearing phase. Few studies, however, have investigated the relations between dam characteristics during gestation and offspring during later life stages, e.g., as a lactating heifer. It can be hypothesized that maternal conditions during gestation not only affect offspring development during early life, but could also have long-lasting effects on offspring performance later in life.\n\nIn dairy farming, extending the calving interval (CInt) by postponing insemination is a strategy to improve fertility and metabolic status by allowing cows more time to recover from the previous calving during the breeding period. Consequently, their offspring may benefit from an improved prenatal environment in utero in terms of better metabolic status, better fertility, and lower milk production. The physiological condition of the cow around gestation influences not only the intrauterine environment, but also the quantity and quality of colostrum. Colostrum, synthesized during the last 3-4 weeks before calving, serves as the first feed for newborn calves and plays a crucial role in their early development. Hence, it can be hypothesized that the influence of dam characteristics during the preconception and gestation period on offspring performance, may result not only through their impact on the uterine environment, but also be mediated via colostrum immediately after birth.\n\nTherefore, the aims of this thesis were 1) to evaluate the effects of dam CInt on offspring performance from birth until lactation, 2) to evaluate the relations between dam characteristics during the preconception and gestation period and offspring performance from birth until lactation, 3) to evaluate the relations between dam characteristics in the previous lactation and colostrum production. Finally, the triangle of relations between the dam, colostrum, and the offspring is discussed by assessing what relations between cow characteristics and offspring may be explained through effects on colostrum characteristics.\n\nTo study these aims, an animal experiment and an observational study were conducted. In the animal experiment, 154 dairy cows in a randomized block design were assigned to insemination after 50, 125, or 200 days from last calving to create a contrast in calving intervals, and monitored for a complete lactation. After calving, female offspring were monitored from birth until 100 days in milk (DIM) of their first lactation. Dams and calves were grouped into 3 groups according to the CInt of the dam (CInt_1: 324-408 d; CInt_2: 409-468 d; CInt_3: 469-586 d). In the observational study including 802 dairy cows, colostrum yield and Brix value were evaluated in relation to cow- and calf-related factors, including body condition and milk production.\n\nIn Chapter 2, the effects of dam calving interval on body condition, metabolic status, and milk production of their offspring from birth until 100 DIM of the offspring\u2019s first lactation were investigated. Results were reported for different life stages of the female offspring. From birth to weaning, calves born to dams with a shorter calving interval (CInt_1) had greater natural antibody IgG and IgM against keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) in plasma than calves born to dams with a long calving interval (CInt_3). However, total IgG and IgM concentrations in dam colostrum were not affected by dam calving interval, indicating that differences in plasma antibody levels between groups were not caused by variations in colostrum exposure. Moreover, calves born to dams in CInt_1 had a higher plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentration (0.34 mmol\/L) than CInt_2 (0.28 mmol\/L) and CInt_3 (0.26 mmol\/L) calves during the preweaning period. Possibly, dams with a short calving interval still have a higher drive and prioritization for milk production resulted in the lower energy or nutrients availability for the fetus, as indicated by higher fat- and protein-corrected milk yield during gestation in multiparous dams with early insemination than those with delayed insemination (30.0 vs. 26.6 vs. 22.6 kg\/d for early, medium, delayed insemination). The effects of dam calving interval on calf NEFA tended to be present still the calf rearing period. Possibly, differences of metabolic programming found in calves gradually stabilized as calves grow and develop, in terms of their physical condition and metabolism. In addition, during the lactation stage, heifers born to primiparous dams in CInt_1 had higher fat- and protein-corrected milk, lower glucose concentration in plasma, and lower body weight during the first 100 DIM than those in CInt_2. Dams with a longer calving interval had a reduced milk yield during gestation, potentially resulting in a higher partitioning of energy toward the fetus. Greater fetal energy availability may in turn have modified the energy allocation and utilization of the offspring.\n\nIn Chapter 3, the relations between dam characteristics during the preconception and gestation period, and the body weight, energy metabolism, hormonal profile, immune function, liver enzymes, and milk variables of their female offspring were investigated from birth until the first 100 DIM of their first lactation. Data were categorized according to the different gestation stages of the dams and the life stages of their female offspring. The highest proportion of significant relations between dam and offspring variables was observed when the offspring were in their own lactation stage (16.56%, 159 out of 960 relations with a P-value <0.05), compared with the earlier preweaning (6.17%, 37 out of 600 relations with a P-value <0.05) and rearing stages (11.67%, 70 out of 600 relations with a P-value <0.05). This may be explained by the fact that, at lactating stage, both the dam and the offspring were milking and therefore shared the same physiological state. More specifically, when the offspring was lactating, the largest proportion of dam offspring relations was found during the preconception period (28.30%, 45 out of 159 significant relations), compared with the later 3 gestation stages (first trimester: 25.16%; second trimester: 24.53%; third trimester: 22.01%). This indicates that dam characteristics before conception may have a particularly strong and lasting influence on the offspring development and metabolic profile during their lactation. Among these relations, the positive relations between dam milk lactose content and offspring body weight, as well as between dam milk yield and offspring energy metabolic variables, were significant over all the 3 stages. These findings indicate that energy or nutrient availability around gestation, as reflected by milk production traits, may modulate offspring growth trajectories and metabolic programming up till the young heifers\u2019 first lactation.\n\nIn Chapter 4, the relations between the plasma metabolomic profiles of dairy cows in early gestation and those of their preweaning female calves were investigated. Sixty dam-calf pairs were included and grouped according to the timing of insemination of the dam and the resulting calving interval. A total of 305 metabolites were detected in plasma samples of dams at one month after conception and of calves at one month of age. The metabolic profiles of dams in early gestation were distinct from those of their calves. The timing of conception within the lactation period of the dam did not affect the metabolomic profiles of the dam or her calf. However, dams with delayed insemination had metabolomic profiles that were more similar to those of their calves compared with dams inseminated earlier, particularly for phosphatidylcholines species. This similarity may be explained by the enhanced metabolic homeostasis of dams with a longer recovery time from their previous calving following delayed insemination, compared with dams with a shorter recovery time after early insemination.\n\nIn Chapter 5, the possible intermediate role of colostrum in the relations between dam characteristics during the last weeks before calving, and growth and metabolism of female offspring from birth to weaning, from weaning to calving, and during the first 100 DIM of their lactation, were investigated. Dams with better energy balance produced less colostrum, but with higher IgM concentration in colostrum, subsequently, the improved colostrum quality enhanced the NAb-KLH levels in offspring plasma from birth until lactation. Possibly, a well-developed mammary gland with fully differentiated secretory cells, as indicated by greater milk yield in the last week before dry-off, which could promote the secretion of bioactive components in colostrum i.e., higher insulin-like growth factor-1 and transforming growth factor-\u03b22 in colostrum. Subsequently, enhanced growth factors in colostrum, can stimulate the growth of lean muscle tissue and prompt the body to use energy, potentially increasing plasma NEFA concentration of calves from birth to weaning. Overall, colostrum, influenced by prepartum dam conditions, is related to offspring long-term performance.\n\nIn Chapter 6, the relations between cow- and calf-related factors and colostrum yield and quality were evaluated in an observational study. A higher average milk yield during the previous lactation was related to higher colostrum yield likely reflecting a higher production capacity and a well-developed mammary gland, facilitating colostrum synthesis. Season also influenced colostrum production, with cows calving in summer producing more colostrum than those calving in other seasons. This seasonal difference may be explained by variation in photoperiod: longer daylight suppresses melatonin release, and circulating melatonin inhibits prolactin release, a hormone involved in colostrogenesis. Consequently, a longer daylight in summer increased prolactin release, supporting colostrum synthesis. Cows with heavier calf birth produced more colostrum, likely due to the dam\u2019s body condition and milking capacity, as larger and heavier dams generally give birth to heavier calves. Thus, both colostrum production and calf birth weight reflected the dam\u2019s condition in the previous lactation. Furthermore, interval between calving and colostrum milking was negatively related to the overall colostrum quality, as indicated by a lower Brix value. The decline in colostrum quality with the delayed collection likely reflects temporal kinetics of IgG transfer from maternal blood into mammary secretions regulated by receptors. Milk yield at the second week before dry-off was negatively related to colostrum Brix value. It can be speculated that higher milk yield before dry-off increases stress markers and inflammatory challenges, thereby reducing colostrum quality.\n\nIn Chapter 7, the results of this thesis from both the experimental and observational studies were compared with each other and with existing literature on dam-offspring relations. The triangle of relations between the dam, colostrum, and the offspring were discussed comprehensively. For each life stage of the offspring, the direct relations between dam characteristics and offspring performance or indirect relations mediated via colostrum were discussed.\n\nTo conclude, this thesis assessed the triangle of relations between the dam, colostrum, and the offspring, where colostrum contributed to the relations between the dam and the offspring. Dam characteristics during the preconception and gestation period had long-term relations with physiology and performance of their offspring, at least from birth to lactation around 2 years. Colostrum may play an important role in mediating the long-term relations between the dam and the offspring. Specifically, offspring in the calf stage are more influenced by the dam\u2019s late gestation and colostrum quality, and offspring in the rearing and lactating stages are more influenced by the dam\u2019s early gestation and colostrum quality. Integrated dam-calf management strategies should recognize the dam as a key factor for offspring performance over their lifetime.","auteur":"Yapin Wang","auteur_slug":"yapin-wang","publicatiedatum":"30 september 2026","taal":"EN","url_flipbook":"https:\/\/ebook.proefschriftmaken.nl\/ebook\/yapinwang?iframe=true","url_download_pdf":"https:\/\/ebook.proefschriftmaken.nl\/download\/021e5246-c0ca-494a-96ec-ede05017ad13\/highres","url_epub":"","ordernummer":"19263","isbn":"978-94-6534-547-5","doi_nummer":"","naam_universiteit":"Wageningen University","afbeeldingen":16913,"video_url":"","podcast_url":"","naam_student:":"","binnenwerk":"","universiteit":"Wageningen University","cover":"","afwerking":"","cover_afwerking":"","design":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/us_portfolio\/16911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/us_portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/us_portfolio"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16911"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/us_portfolio\/16911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16914,"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/us_portfolio\/16911\/revisions\/16914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"us_portfolio_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.proefschriftmaken.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/us_portfolio_category?post=16911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}