VET354B Animal nutrition and metabolism

Animal nutrition and metabolism

The course consists of one block.

The course will provide students with basic knowledge of animal nutrition (nutritional characteristics and needs) and metabolism, focusing on metabolic regulation.

Species in which knowledge is expected are sports- and companion animals, including dogs, cats, horses and exotics, and production animals such as ruminants, pigs, poultry and salmonids.

Mammals, birds and fish are taught comparatively.

Learning Goals with Reading Guide VET354B Metabolism and Nutrition This document describes the learning objectives in VET354B Metabolism and Nutrition, with reference to textbooks and other teaching materials. Prerequisites: VET354B follows the courses VET351 ("Vertebrate", anatomy, embryology, histology, cell biology and molecular biology) and VET354A (Anatomy & Physiology, musculoskeletal system, digestion, circulation, respiration and urinary organs). VET354B therefore assumes that students have a thorough knowledge of the molecular structure of biological macromolecules, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids. Organelles and their functions, cells, tissues and organs, and the overarching interaction between these. It also expects very good anatomical and physiological knowledge of the different livestock species' digestion and absorption of nutrients. One should be familiar with microbiota, especially with regard to fermentation in the rumen, colon and cecum and the main products of these processes. Examination questions in VET354B may in some cases build on / be based on prior knowledge from the courses VET351 and VET354A. The requirements for prior knowledge mean that exemptions are only granted exceptionally for one or both topics in VET354B.

In the description of the learning objectives, the desired depth of understanding is suggested with the concepts; a) "Account for and apply" - the student can give a detailed explanation / description of a topic in their own words, and put it in a professional / medical context, for example related to a disease condition. The ability to apply knowledge in new professional situations, assess case tasks and / or make various calculations such as feed needs and carry out a holding assessment of given animal species is expected. b) "Know, outline" - the student can give an overall description / explanation of a topic, without details. For example "know" the synthesis of nucleotides. c) "Reproduce, recognize" - the student can reproduce and / or recognize certain structural formulas and reaction sequences, and name some regulated enzymes and explain how they are regulated. In VET354B, the reproduction of structural formulas is emphasized relatively little, but formulas for very central metabolites in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism are required. d) "Define" - the student must be able to reproduce definitions and equations, such as: pH = -log [H +]. Reading guide, curriculum and study technique: In VET354B we strive for consistency between lectures (and other teaching) and what is emphasized in the exam. The lectures are posted on Canvas (pdfs). And to the lectures it is stated which chapters in textbooks are relevant and / or reference will be given to literature that has been made available on Canvas, scientific articles or other relevant sources. Colloquium tasks are also linked to specific chapters in textbooks, or other distributed material, such as case studies. We strongly recommend working together in groups with the colloquium tasks (see below). The lectures make up a central part of the teaching material, but must be used together with literature given in the reading guide during learning. It is not sufficient to only use lecture notes. Some tasks and exam questions cover material that may be little or not dealt with in lectures, case tasks, group tasks or courses, but which is covered in the literature. We recommend a study technique that was developed by the American physicist Richard Feynman. The method has four steps: a) Study the topic thoroughly (big surprise 😊) b) Explain the topic out loud to others - colloquia are incredibly important! c) Go back and read again what you could not explain and try to simplify your explanations - the simplest correct explanation wins! d) Repeat the points above until you have a simple and logical explanation of the topic - then you will notice that you also remember it well. The video below is one of many on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ_MXwjouT0

Metabolism The main goal of the metabolism part of VET354B is to provide an understanding of energy metabolism and its regulation. At the end of the course, students should be able to explain:  How do animals obtain the energy they need and what does this energy consist of?  How can animals survive for long periods without food, as seen in fasting caused by fasting (for example, hibernation), food shortage, or illness?  How is energy metabolism coordinated and regulated in different organs and tissues? We use the book "Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews, Biochemistry, 8th edition 2022. Previous editions are available online and can be used. The chapters are short and they end with "Concept maps" where connections are shown figuratively (very good!). The book is widely used in medicine and it has good (human) clinical examples. After each chapter, there are tasks with correct answers on the same page. The book's weakness is that it is densely packed - which means that one must read slowly and thoroughly. The book is meant to give an overview of large topics and is therefore superficial. For example, evolutionary and comparative aspects are omitted. The same goes for reaction mechanisms and topics such as cells' ability to register substrate availability (nutrient sensing) of fatty acids (PPARs) and amino acids (AMPK vs mTOR signaling). In VET354B, "Units" II, III, IV, and V, as well as chapter 28 on vitamins, are taught. In the lectures, figures from the book are used, and the weight of the topics is explained in lectures and through colloquium tasks. In addition to lectures and colloquia, we will work with some case studies/clinical examples. Chapter 6 Bioenergy and oxidative phosphorylation o Explain the concept of Gibbs free energy and its connection with the equilibrium constant. o Explain the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation. We do not require that structural formulas for ATP, NAD, or FAD be reproduced, but recognized, and the different components should be pointed out. Detailed construction of complex 5 (Fig 6.14) is also not required. Chapter 28 Vitamins (comes early in the course) o Know the different groups of vitamins. Their structure (name) and be able to describe / outline main functions and key reactions in metabolism where various vitamins are involved. Structural formulas for the vitamins are not required and details related to deficiencies and/or nutritional needs of different animal species are taught in nutrition. Carbohydrate metabolism - chapters 7-13 o Know and reproduce the structure and name (nomenclature) of carbohydrates o Explain cellular uptake of and regulated breakdown of glucose via glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, as well as synthesis via gluconeogenesis. o Explain functions and regulated synthesis and breakdown of glycogen. o Know and outline the pentose phosphate pathway and its regulation and functions. Lipid metabolism chapters 15-18 • Reproduce structure (general) and synthesis of fatty acids, fatty acid esters, cholesterol, and • steroid hormones. • Know mechanisms for transport of lipids in blood and uptake of fatty acids in tissue. • Explain regulated synthesis and storage of triglycerides, as well as regulated mobilization during the transition to fasting. • Reproduce breakdown of fatty acids in mitochondria with energy yield, as well as synthesis and turnover of ketone bodies during fasting. • Outline prostaglandin synthesis Nitrogen metabolism chapters 19-21 • Know the reactions involved in the synthesis and breakdown of amino acids. • Schematically reproduce the urea cycle and its regulation (formulas for C5, C6, and C10 compounds in the cycle do not need to be known). • Know/recognize/name certain nitrogen-containing compounds with important functions. • Reproduce the equation with structural formulas for the transaminase reactions catalyzed by AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase). Integration of metabolism chapters 23-25 • Know structure, secretion mechanism, and metabolic effects of the hormones insulin and glucagon, via regulated key enzymes. • Know and outline metabolic processes in the liver, adipose tissue, muscle, and brain in a fed state and during fasting. • Know and outline metabolic processes that are characteristic of type I diabetes, type II diabetes, and ketosis in cows, respectively.

Nutrition: • Be able to define, explain and apply terminology related to the subject of nutrition. • Reproduce and describe chemical analyses of feed and feed raw materials that form the basis for a feedstuff evaluation. • Explain and be able to describe methods for determining an animal's nutritional needs for maintenance and growth (feeding trials). • Explain and be able to describe an animal's energy and protein needs for maintenance and growth, as well as reproduce and explain the use of metabolic body weight. • Explain methods for determining the nutritional value of a feed (feedstuff evaluation), including energy evaluation systems/concepts, the protein value of a feed and carbohydrates in feed. • Know and be able to describe methods for determining the digestibility of a feed or feed raw material (digestibility trials). • Explain the effect of raw materials on digestion, turnover and passage speed of nutrients in relevant animal species and make comparative assessments. • Know the regulation on feed raw materials and reproduce parts of the regulation. • Recognize and name the most common Norwegian feed raw materials (concentrate feed), their general nutritional content (carbohydrate feed, protein feed, fat feed), digestibility and biological value. • Recognize and name the most common roughage raw materials/plants and explain the importance of harvest time for the nutritional value of roughage. • Explain types, preservation and feed value of roughage. • Know the content of a roughage analysis, explain the importance of a roughage analysis for ration calculation of horse and ruminant. • Explain antinutrients in raw materials and explain how these can affect the nutritional value and digestibility of feed. • Know regulations on labeling of feed and be able to use analysis and ingredient list on feed packages and inserts to perform ration calculations. • Explain body condition assessment of relevant animal species, and explain the importance of condition in calculating the nutritional needs of an animal. • Apply knowledge to solve case-related tasks alone and in collaboration with others in groups. • Perform simple calculations of energy and nutrient content in a feed based on the feed's analysis and ingredient list. • Apply the knowledge acquired in the module to assess an animal's nutritional status. • Perform and explain body condition assessment of horse and cow and explain body condition assessment of other animal species (dog, cat and pig). • Use body condition assessment of horse, dog and cat to calculate the energy needs of the individual animal as a starting point for ration calculations. • Perform simple ration calculations based on feedstuff evaluation and assessment of an animal's nutritional needs. • Perform simple calculations for evaluating the digestibility of a feed based on results from feeding trials.