**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NUTRIENT RESTRICTION DURING GESTATION CAN NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE EFFICIENCY OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION BY GENERATING OFFSPRING WITH DECREASED MUSCLE MASS, INCREASED ADIPOSITY, AND IMPAIRED METABOLISM. THE MECHANISMS BEHIND THESE ALTERED PHENOTYPES ARE NOT WELL-CHARACTERIZED. THE EFFECTS OF POOR MATERNAL NUTRITION ARE EVIDENT ACROSS SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS, DEMONSTRATING LONG-TERM NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE LIVESTOCK. OUR OVERARCHING HYPOTHESIS IS THAT MATERNAL NUTRIENT RESTRICTION DURING GESTATION IMPAIRS FETAL SMALL INTESTINE DEVELOPMENT WHICH MAY ALTER NUTRIENT TRANSPORT THAT CAN ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTE TO UNDESIRABLE PHENOTYPES. OUR OVERALL PROJECT GOALS ARE 1) TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL NUTRIENT RESTRICTION ON FETAL SMALL INTESTINE DEVELOPMENT AND 2) TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL NUTRIENT RESTRICTION ON FETAL SMALL INTESTINE MRNA EXPRESSION AND DNA METHYLATION PATTERNS. WE EXPECT THAT 1) MATERNAL NUTRIENT RESTRICTION WILL DECREASE FETAL SMALL INTESTINE WEIGHT, INCREASE SMALL INTESTINE LENGTH, DECREASE VILLUS HEIGHT, AND DECREASE CRYPT DEPTH AND 2) WILL ALTER THE MRNA ABUNDANCE OF KEY NUTRIENT TRANSPORTERS AND DNA METHYLATION PATTERNS IN THE FETAL SMALL INTESTINE. THE CURRENT PROPOSAL WILL IDENTIFY MECHANISMS BY WHICH MATERNAL NUTRIENT RESTRICTION IMPACTS OFFSPRING GROWTH, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND LIVESTOCK ANIMAL HEALTH.