Measurements of paternal IGF2R expression in bovine fetal tissues clearly confirm the 5?C10% of paternal expression estimated in mouse. Furthermore, our data are consistent with the observation in mouse embryonic stem cells that establishment of imprinted gene expression increases transcription from the maternal allele up to 10-fold while transcription from the paternal allele remains constant. Interestingly, our quantitative analysis of IGF2R imprinting revealed a significant tissue-effect on allele-specific expression bias. Pair wise comparisons of least square means showed significant differences between tissues originating from different cell lineages. Tissues derived from mesoderm showed higher relative expression from the paternal allele than tissues derived from endoderm. Bisulphite pyrosequencing of CpG dinucleotides in DMR2 revealed significant DNA methylation differences between mesodermal and endodermal tissue at 20 out of 21 surveyed sites. Together with the biallelic expression found in ectoderm derived brain, this cell lineage effect suggested that in cow, similar to mouse and most likely sheep, imprinted expression of IGF2R in the embryo proper is not established until gastrulation. Expression from the paternal IGF2R allele was 3?C4 fold higher in placenta as compared with fetal tissues originating from the embryo proper and can be classified as partial imprinting. Since placenta and embryo proper derive from the two earliest lineages of the embryo, trophectoderm and inner cell mass, respectively, establishment of a trophectoderm-specific imprinted allelic expression bias prior to establishment of imprinted expression in the embryo proper could explain these differences. Alternatively, the high proportion of expression from the paternal IGF2R allele could indicate a selecting contrast food intake oral ingestion protein transition from imprinted maternal expression in the first trimester of gestation to biallelic expression in later developmental stages. Temporary imprinting with intermediate states was reported for mouse and human Slc22a3/SLC22A3, which is in the Igf2r/IGF2R imprinted cluster with some shared control elements and mechanisms. Future analyses of samples from more advanced developmental stages should help clarify this aspect. Unlike the hemochorial placenta of mouse and human, the synepitheliochorial placenta in bovine presents a strong barrier that prevents mixing of fetal and maternal bloods and tissue. Recent concerns about contamination of fetal placenta with maternal tissue nevertheless prompted us to test our sampling procedure for fetal placenta for potential maternal contamination.LXR is thought to induce CD36 expression. However, our results showed that hepatic CD36 mRNA level was significantly higher in HFD group compared with NCD group, and tended to be lower in FX groups than HFD group, albeit not significantly. Our results indicated that hepatic CPT-1 mRNA expression was increased in the FX groups compared with HFD group. CPT1 is the rate-limiting enzyme for fatty acid b-oxidation.