ABSTRACT: High-concentrate diets supplemented with phytogenic compounds or autolyzed yeast modulates bacterial community and fermentation parameters in dry cows
Project description:Twelve midlactation cows received 4 diets differing in forage-to-concentrate ration (High (HF) versus Low (LF) forage supplemented or not with lipids (HF with whole intact rapeseeds (HF-RS) and LF with sunflower oil (LF-SO))
Project description:Twelve midlactation cows received 4 diets differing in forage-to-concentrate ration (High (HF) versus Low (LF) forage supplemented or not with lipids (HF with whole intact rapeseeds (HF-RS) and LF with sunflower oil (LF-SO)) 12 cows got into 4 groups, each cow was received 4 different diets in a latin square design Green*txt and Red_*txt raw data files contain Cy3 and Cy5 signal intensities, respectively.
Project description:The aim of this study was to determine the effects of linseed dietary supplementation on gene expression in the mammary gland of grazing dairy cows. Milk composition and gene expression in the mammary gland tissue were evaluated in dairy cows supplemented with linseed. The linseed supplementation improves the health and nutrition quality aspects of dairy milk, but also affects the gene networks expression signature associated with cellular growth and proliferation, cell-death, signalling, nutrient metabolism, and immune response, and in turn, the mammary gland integrity and health. The experiment was carried out in a complete randomized blocked designed structure comprising 14 Holstein-Friesian cows (6 second parity, 2 third parity and 6 older cows), selected from a 550-cow herd. Cows were paired in 7 blocks on the basis of similarity in parity (second parity, third parity and older cows), expected date of calving, and milk performance in the previous lactation (in order of priority). Cows within each block were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups, “Omega” or “Control”. The dietary Omega treatment consisted of a basal diet supplemented with a concentrate-mixture including linseed on a dry matter (DM) basis, whereas cows in treatment group Control were supplemented with a concentrate mixture without linseed. Linseed was chosen because it is rich in c9,c12,c15-18:3 (ALA). Concentrate mixtures were fed with a concentrate dispenser. Experimental treatments started 3 weeks before the expected calving date (wk -3) and lasted until 6 weeks after calving (wk 6).
Project description:Cattle are often fed high concentrate diets to increase energy intake and improve overall animal performance. Such diets also cause changes in fermentation patterns and epithelial function. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in regulating epithelial function for cattle fed high concentrate diets have not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to gain a broad overview of the involved molecular mechanisms by detecting differentially expressed genes (DEG) in rumen tissue from dairy cows fed a low concentrate (LC; 8%) compared to a high concentrate (HC; 64%) diet using a bovine-specific microarray platform containing 16,846 unique gene loci and 5,943 ESTs from the bovine genome. Feeding the HC diet increased the total volatile fatty acid concentration and markedly reduced ruminal pH, suggesting that the dietary treatments used did induce changes in ruminal fermentation. In response to changes in the ruminal environment, a total of 5,200 elements were detected as DEG in ruminal tissue with >1.5-fold expression change (P < 0.05) for cows fed HC relative to LC. Of the 5,200 DEG, 2,233 and 2,967 were up- and down-regulated, respectively. The GENECODIS analysis elucidated that relationships among the DEG represented 19 annotations characterized with GO molecular function and KEGG pathways with 26 DEG identified in multiple annotations such as calcium signaling and gap junction pathways. Among those DEG that were identified numerous times, catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PRKACB) was down-regulated in ruminal tissue from cows fed HC, suggesting that this gene may have important roles including regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation, and intracellular pH regulation. Two-condition experiment, High concentrate vs. Low concentrate diets. Biological replicates: 5 high concentrate fed, 5 low concentrate, independently grown and harvested. Two replicates per array.
Project description:The structure and function of the microbiome inhabiting the rumen are, amongst other factors, mainly shaped by the animal’s feed intake. Describing the influence of different diets on the inherent community arrangement and associated metabolic activities of the most active ruminal fractions (bacteria and archaea) is of great interest for animal nutrition, biotechnology and climatology. Samples were obtained from three fistulated Jersey cows rotationally fed with corn silage, grass silage or hay, each supplemented with a concentrate mixture. Samples were fractionated into ruminal fluid, squeezed solid and solid matter. DNA, proteins and metabolites were analyzed subsequently. DNA extracts were used for Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and the metabolomes of rumen fluids were determined by 500MHz-NMR spectroscopy. Tryptic peptides derived from protein extracts were measured by LC-ESI-MS/MS and spectra were processed by a two-step database search for quantitative metaproteome characterization. Protein- and DNA-based datasets revealed significant differences between sample fractions and diets and affirmed similar trends concerning shifts in phylogenetic composition. Ribosomal genes and proteins belonging to the phylum of Proteobacteria, particularly Succinivibrionaceae, exhibited a higher abundance in corn silage-based samples while fiber-degraders of the Lachnospiraceae family emerged in great quantities throughout the solid phase fractions. The analysis of 8163 quantified bacterial proteins revealed the presence of 166 carbohydrate active enzymes in varying abundance. Cellulosome affiliated proteins were less expressed in the grass silage, glycoside hydrolases appeared in slightest numbers in the corn silage. Most expressed glycoside hydrolases belonged to families 57 and 2. Enzymes analogous to ABC transporters for amino acids and monosaccharides were more abundant in the corn silage whereas oligosaccharide transporters showed a higher abundance in the fiber-rich diets. Proteins involved in carbon metabolism were detected in high numbers and identification of metabolites like short-chain fatty acids, methylamines and phenylpropionate by NMR enabled linkage between producers and products. This study forms a solid basis to retrieve deeper insight into the complex network of gut microbial adaptation.
Project description:The objective of this project is identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes which are associated with higher omega-3 fatty acids deposition in beef cows. Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to influence meat flavor and are beneficial to human health. Supplementation of livestock diets with flaxseed, a rich source of ë±-linolenic acid, is the most common means of producing omega-3 fatty acid-enriched animal products. Towards the goal of enhancing beef fatty acid composition, 64 crossbred cull cows (~30 months of age) with similar breed composition were randomized by weight/body condition, and fed one of four 50:50 forage:concentrate diets on a DM basis (16 cows/treatment), containing ground barley grain with either hay or silage, supplemented with 0 or 15% ground flaxseed (DM basis). Cows were slaughtered after spending 140 days on the treatment diets. Five cows from each of the four diets were selected for transcriptional analysis based on FA profiles of the kidney fat collected at slaughter. RNA was isolated from Longissimus thoracis muscle, subcutaneous and kidney fat of each cow (20 samples/tissue) and hybridized in duplicate to BOMC 24K 60-mer microarrays. Differential gene expression between flax-fed and non-flax-fed cows as well as identifying those genes associated with fatty acid metabolism were studied.
Project description:Glyphosate (GLY) is one of the most used active substances in broad-band herbicides worldwide. Although farm animals might be orally exposed to this herbicide via GLY contaminated feedstuffs, not much is known about possible hepatotoxic effects of GLY. As hepatic xenobiotic and nutrient metabolism are closely interlinked, the toxic effects of GLY residues might be influenced by nutrient supply to the liver. Therefore, a feeding trial with lactating dairy cows was conducted to investigate effects of GLY contaminated feedstuffs and different concentrate feed proportions (CFP) in the diets as a tool for varying nutrient supply to the liver. Therefore, 61 German Holstein cows (207 ± 49 days in milk; mean ± standard deviation) were either fed a GLY contaminated total mixed ration (TMR, GLY, average mean GLY intake 122.7 µg/kg bodyweight/day) or control TMR (CON, average mean GLY intake 1.2 µg/kg bodyweight/day) for 16 weeks. Additionally, both groups were further split into subgroups fed a lower (LC, 30% on dry matter basis) or a higher (HC, 60% on dry matter basis) CFP. Blood parameters aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, calcium, phosphorus, acetic acid and urea as well as histopathological evaluation were not influenced by GLY, whereas all mentioned parameters were at least affected by time, CFP or by an interactive manner between time and CFP. Total bilirubin blood concentration was significantly influenced by an interaction between GLY and CFP with temporarily elevated concentrations in GLYHC, whereas the reasons and biological relevance remain unclear. Gene expression analysis indicated 167 CFP-responsive genes, while seven genes showed altered expression in GLY groups compared to CON groups. Since expression changes of GLY-responsive genes were low and liver-related blood parameters changed either not at all or only slightly, the tested GLY formulation was considered to have no toxic effects on the liver of dairy cows.
Project description:Cows were selected from two groups of 12 cows enrolled in a large experiment to assess the effects of ad libitum or restricted intake of moderate-energy diets during the entire dry period on pre-partum metabolism and post-partum metabolism and performance. A corn silage-based diet (26% of diet dry matter) providing 1.59 Mcal/kg during the far-off dry period (first 5 wk of an 8-wk dry period) or providing 1.61 Mcal/kg during the close-up dry period (last 3 wk of the dry period) was fed for ad libitum or restricted intake. Four multiparous Holstein cows were randomly selected from the ad libitum and restricted intake groups. Keywords: time course, ad libitum or restricted feeding prepartum
Project description:Cattle are often fed high concentrate diets to increase energy intake and improve overall animal performance. Such diets also cause changes in fermentation patterns and epithelial function. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in regulating epithelial function for cattle fed high concentrate diets have not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to gain a broad overview of the involved molecular mechanisms by detecting differentially expressed genes (DEG) in rumen tissue from dairy cows fed a low concentrate (LC; 8%) compared to a high concentrate (HC; 64%) diet using a bovine-specific microarray platform containing 16,846 unique gene loci and 5,943 ESTs from the bovine genome. Feeding the HC diet increased the total volatile fatty acid concentration and markedly reduced ruminal pH, suggesting that the dietary treatments used did induce changes in ruminal fermentation. In response to changes in the ruminal environment, a total of 5,200 elements were detected as DEG in ruminal tissue with >1.5-fold expression change (P < 0.05) for cows fed HC relative to LC. Of the 5,200 DEG, 2,233 and 2,967 were up- and down-regulated, respectively. The GENECODIS analysis elucidated that relationships among the DEG represented 19 annotations characterized with GO molecular function and KEGG pathways with 26 DEG identified in multiple annotations such as calcium signaling and gap junction pathways. Among those DEG that were identified numerous times, catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PRKACB) was down-regulated in ruminal tissue from cows fed HC, suggesting that this gene may have important roles including regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation, and intracellular pH regulation.
Project description:Individual male broilers (Cobb500; n=16) were allotted to 4 experimental diets containing either no phytogenic feed additives, an essential oil blend, saponin extract or a combination of both phytogenic preparations. Liver samples were used for transcriptome profiling.