胎儿在不良的子宫环境下发生程序化作用，而这种程序化的抑制作用很难随着出生后营养的恢复而完全消除。在我国的传统草原畜牧业区域，季节性变化对放牧的反刍动物影响较大。一般来说，冬春季节是牛羊的繁殖季节，但由于季节性变化的影响，冬春两季牧草营养价值较差。由于牧草的营养价值低，因此不能满足动物营养需求，最终这种长期营养缺乏的影响可能会对胎儿在子宫内的发育及关键组织器官增殖分化生长发育模式产生程序化抑制作用。
中科院亚热带农业生态研究所反刍动物营养课题组博士贺志雄在谭支良研究员的指导下，对浏阳黑山羊（怀孕母羊）进行了妊娠后期营养限制试验，研究了蛋白能量限制对羔羊生长及组织发育的影响。结果表明，蛋白能量限制降低了羔羊初生体重；与对照组相比，蛋白能量限制降低了羔羊初生时胸腺、心脏、邹胃和小肠重量；当器官重量与体重相比后，与对照组相比，蛋白能量限制显著降低了胸腺和小肠比例，而肺、心脏、肾脏、脾脏、肝脏、胰腺、前胃和邹胃均无限制影响。总之，孕期营养限制不止影响了胎儿出生体重，还选择性地改变了机体组成。
相关研究成果发表在国际期刊Animal Reproduction Science上。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐的英文摘要
Anim Reprod Sci doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2013.01.005
He ZX, Wu DQ, Sun ZH, Tan ZL, Qiao JY, Ran T, Tang SX, Zhou CS, Han XF, Wang M, Kang JH, Beauchemin KA.
Protein or energy restriction during late gestation alters fetal growth and visceral organ mass: an evidence of intrauterine programming in goats.
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of maternal protein or energy restriction during late gestation on postnatal fetal growth and visceral organ mass of goats. Eighty pregnant goats with similar age (2.0 ± 0.3 yr) and body weight (BW, 20.0 ± 1.0 kg before pregnancy) were assigned to 3 dietary treatments during late gestation: control (CON), 40% protein restricted (PR) and 40% energy restricted (ER) diets until parturition, after which offspring received normal diets for nutritional recovery. Kids were killed and visceral tissues were harvested at birth and week 6. Maternal protein or energy restriction decreased (P < 0.05) birth weight, and the weights of thymus, heart, abomasums, small intestine. The length of fetus from PR and ER were all decreased (P < 0.05) compared with that from control. When expressed relative to BW, thymus and small intestine for PR and ER still remained less (P < 0.05) than that for control. After 6 weeks of nutritional recovery, there was no difference (P = 0.91) in BW among groups; the kids from nutritional restriction groups showed a greater (P < 0.05) growth rate compared with kids from CON. Moreover, liver (only in ER, P < 0.10) and kidney (only in ER, P < 0.05) were proportionally increased to BW at week 6. The results indicate that maternal protein or energy restriction programs the fetal growth in goats, particularly the proportional responses of fetal organs relative to BW, including thymus, small intestine, kidney and liver.
