THERE IS AMPLE EVIDENCE THAT MATERNAL DIET DURING PREGNANCY CAN INDUCE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC CHANGES IN THE OFFSPRING ACROSS SPECIES, WHICH IN TURN COULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS AFTER BIRTH. HOWEVER, THE INFLUENCE OF PATERNAL DIET ON TRAITS OF THE OFFSPRING HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED IN LIVESTOCK. OUR CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE SUPPLEMENTATION OF THE AMINO ACID METHIONINE TO THE DIET OF RAMS WILL LEAD TO ALTERED METHYLATION OF THE SPERM GENOME, WHICH IN TURN WILL RESULT IN GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES AND HENCE PHENOTYPIC CHANGES IN THE OFFSPRING. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS WORK ARE TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF PATERNAL METHIONINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON REPRODUCTION, GROWTH, AND CARCASS TRAITS OF THE OFFSPRING IN THE SUBSEQUENT THREE GENERATIONS AND TO ELUCIDATE THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH THESE PHENOTYPES ARE ALTERED. WE WILL USE A UNIQUE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN OF MALE TWINS IN WHICH ONE TWIN RAM WILL BE FED A SUPPLEMENTATION OF METHIONINE WHILE THE OTHER TWIN WILL BE USED AS A CONTROL.PHENOTYPES OF THE OFFSPRING OF THESE TWINS WILL BE RECORDED FOR THREE GENERATIONS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE TWO OBJECTIVES WILL DEFINE THE POTENTIAL TO USE PATERNAL NUTRITION TO PROGRAM SPECIFIC TRAITS IN THE OFFSPRING AND WILL ALSO CHARACTERIZE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT UNDERLIE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIET AND PRODUCTION TRAITS. OVERALL, THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF PATERNAL DIET ON GROWTH, PRODUCTION, AND REPRODUCTION OF THE OFFSPRING AND TO ELUCIDATE THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH THESE TRAITS ARE PROGRAMMED IN THE SPERM AND INHERITED TO THE OFFSPRING.