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Effects of early feeding on the host rumen transcriptome and bacterial diversity in lambs.

ABSTRACT: Early consumption of starter feed promotes rumen development in lambs. We examined rumen development in lambs fed starter feed for 5 weeks using histological and biochemical analyses and by performing high-throughput sequencing in rumen tissues. Additionally, rumen contents of starter feed-fed lambs were compared to those of breast milk-fed controls. Our physiological and biochemical findings revealed that early starter consumption facilitated rumen development, changed the pattern of ruminal fermentation, and increased the amylase and carboxymethylcellulase activities of rumen micro-organisms. RNA-seq analysis revealed 225 differentially expressed genes between the rumens of breast milk- and starter feed-fed lambs. These DEGs were involved in many metabolic pathways, particularly lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and included HMGCL and HMGCS2. Sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed that ruminal bacterial communities were more diverse in breast milk-than in starter feed-fed lambs, and each group had a distinct microbiota. We conclude that early starter feeding is beneficial to rumen development and physiological function in lambs. The underlying mechanism may involve the stimulation of ruminal ketogenesis and butanoate metabolism via HMGCL and HMGCS2 combined with changes in the fermentation type induced by ruminal microbiota. Overall, this study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of rumen development in sheep.

SUBMITTER: Wang W

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5006043 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of early feeding on the host rumen transcriptome and bacterial diversity in lambs.

Wang Weimin W Li Chong C Li Fadi F Wang Xiaojuan X Zhang Xiaoxue X Liu Ting T Nian Fang F Yue Xiangpeng X Li Fei F Pan Xiangyu X La Yongfu Y Mo Futao F Wang Fangbin F Li Baosheng B

Scientific reports 20160831

Early consumption of starter feed promotes rumen development in lambs. We examined rumen development in lambs fed starter feed for 5 weeks using histological and biochemical analyses and by performing high-throughput sequencing in rumen tissues. Additionally, rumen contents of starter feed-fed lambs were compared to those of breast milk-fed controls. Our physiological and biochemical findings revealed that early starter consumption facilitated rumen development, changed the pattern of ruminal fe ...[more]

PMID: 27576848

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Project description:Early supplementary feeding of lambs before weaning is important to meet their nutritional needs, promote the development of rumen and improve performance. To study the effect of early supplementary feeding on rumen development and the microbiota of lambs, 22 Hu lambs were randomly divided into two groups: one group was fed with milk replacer (group C), and the other group was fed with milk replacer and starter (group S). At 28 days, six lambs in each group were slaughtered, and the rumen content and tissue samples were collected for detection and analysis. The starter significantly promoted the length of rumen papilla (P = 0.03), the concentration of acetate, propionate, butyrate and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) (P < 0.01), which were higher in group S compared with group C. Group C had a higher rumen microbial diversity than group S. The dominant bacteria in the two groups were the same (Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria); however, they differed notably at the genus level. The microbial abundance of the two groups was significantly different for 22 species. In group C, the first three dominant bacteria were Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, and Campylobacter, while in group S they were Succinivibrio, unidentified_Prevotellaceae, and unidentified_Lachnospiraceae. Spearman correlation analysis showed that some ruminal bacteria were closely related to internal environmental factors, e.g., the relative abundances of unidentified_Bacteria, Euryarchaeota, Fusobacteria, and Gracilibacteria correlated negatively with acetate, propionate, butyrate, and TVFA (P < 0.05), while the relative abundances of Firmicutes correlated positively with acetate, propionate, butyrate and TVFA (P < 0.05). Bacteroidetes correlated negatively with propionate, butyrate, and TVFA (P < 0.05); Synergistetes correlated negatively with acetate, propionate, and butyrate (P < 0.05); Deinococcus-Thermus correlated negatively with propionate, butyrate, and TVFA (P < 0.05); Spirochaetes correlated negatively with propionate and TVFA (P < 0.05); and Elusimicrobia correlated negatively with propionate and butyrate (P < 0.05). Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia correlated positively correlated with NH3-N. In conclusion, supplementary feeding of lambs before weaning promoted the development of rumen tissue morphology and rumen microorganisms.

Project description:IntroductionThe mutton quality of Chinese Tan lambs (Ovis aries) has declined as feeding patterns have shifted from pasturing to pen rationing. While pen-fed can enhance the growth performance of sheep, it falls short in terms of meat quality attributes such as meat color and tenderness. Furthermore, compared to pen-fed, pasture-fed husbandry increases the proportion of oxidative muscle fibers, decreases the proportion of glycolytic muscle fibers, and reduces LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) activity. Mutton quality is affected by fatty acids, and rumen microorganisms play a role in the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids, long-chain fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acids.MethodsWe used 16S rRNA sequencing to analyze the effects of two feeding patterns on the rumen bacteria of Tan lambs. In a randomized block design with 24 newborn Tan lambs, 12 lambs were fed by ewes in pasture and 12 were fed by pen-fed ewes. At 2 months, the biceps femoris and the longissimus dorsi were analyzed by gas chromatography for intramuscular fat content and fatty acids composition, and DNA in the rumen contents was extracted and used to analyze the structure of the bacterial community.ResultsDifferent feeding patterns had no significant effect on the intramuscular fat content of the biceps femoris and longissimus dorsi of the lambs, but there was a significant effect on fatty acids composition. The fatty acids c18:3n3 and c20:5n3 were significantly higher in the biceps femoris and longissimus dorsi of the pasture group than the pen-ration group. The alpha diversity of rumen bacteria was significantly greater in the pasture group compared to the pen-ration group. The ACE index, Chao1 index, Shannon index, and Simpson index were all notably higher in the pasture group than in the pen-ration group. Utilizing beta diversity analysis to examine the differences in rumen bacteria between the pasture group and pen-ration group, it was observed that the homogeneity of bacteria in the pasture group was lower than that in the pen-ration group. Furthermore, the diversity of rumen bacteria in the pasture group was greater than that in the pen-ration group. Twenty-one phyla were identified in the pasture group, and 14 phyla were identified in the pen-ration group. The dominant phyla in the pasture group were Bacteroidetes and Fibrobacteres; the dominant phyla in the pen-ration group were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria was significantly higher in the pen-ration group than in the pasture group (p < 0.01). Diversity at the genus level was also higher in the pasture group, with 176 genera in the pasture group and 113 genera in the pen-ration group. The dominant genera in the pasture group were Prevotella_1, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, and Bacteroidales_BS11_gut_group_Na; the dominant genera in the pen-ration group were Prevotella_1, Prevotella_7, Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-001, and Succinivibrionaceae_NA.DiscussionThe rumen bacterial community of Tan sheep is significantly influenced by pen-ration and pasture-fed conditions, leading to variations in fatty acid content in the muscle, which in turn affects the flavor and nutritional value of the meat to some extent. Pasture-fed conditions have been shown to enhance the diversity of rumen bacterial community structure in Tan sheep, thereby increasing the nutritional value of their meat.

Project description:High-grain diet is commonly used in intensive production to boost yield in short term, which may cause adverse effects such as rumen and colonic acidosis in ruminants. Maize is one of the key components of high-grain diet, and different processing methods of maize affect the digestive absorption and gastrointestinal development of ruminants. To investigate the effects of maize form in high-grain diets on colonic fermentation and bacterial community of weaned lambs, twenty-two 2.5-month-old healthy Hu lambs were fed separately a maize meal low-grain diet (19.2% grain; CON), a maize meal high-grain diet (50.4% grain; CM), and a whole maize high-grain diet (50.4% grain; CG). After 7 weeks of feeding, the total volatile fatty acid concentration (P = 0.035) were significantly higher in lambs from CM than that from CON. The sequencing results of colonic content microbial composition revealed that the relative abundance of genera Parasutterella (P = 0.028), Comamonas (P = 0.031), Butyricicoccus (P = 0.049), and Olsenella (P = 0.010) were higher in CM than those in CON; compared with CM, the CG diet had the higher relative abundance of genera Bacteroides (P = 0.024) and Angelakisella (P = 0.020), while the lower relative abundance of genera Olsenella (P = 0.031) and Paraprevotella (P = 0.006). For colonic mucosal microbiota, the relative abundance of genera Duncaniella (P = 0.024), Succiniclasticum (P = 0.044), and Comamonas (P = 0.012) were significantly higher in CM than those in CON. In comparison, the relative abundance of genera Alistipes (P = 0.020) and Campylobacter (P = 0.017) were significantly lower. And the relative abundance of genera Colidextribacter (P = 0.005), Duncaniella (P = 0.032), Christensenella (P = 0.042), and Lawsonibacter (P = 0.018) were increased in the CG than those in the CM. Furthermore, the CG downregulated the relative abundance of genes encoding infectious-disease-parasitic (P = 0.049), cancer-specific-types (P = 0.049), and neurodegenerative-disease (P = 0.037) in colonic microbiota than those in the CM. Overall, these results indicated that maize with different grain sizes might influence the colonic health of weaned lambs by altering the composition of the colonic bacterial community.

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Effects of early feeding on the host rumen transcriptome and bacterial diversity in lambs.

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Effects of early feeding on the host rumen transcriptome and bacterial diversity in lambs.

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