Project description:Improper use of antibiotics in swine could reduce commensal bacteria and possibly increase pathogen infections via the gut resistome. This study aimed to compare the metaproteomic profiles of gut resistome and related metabolism in the cecal microbiota of fattening pigs raised under antibiotic-free (ABF) conditions with those of ordinary industrial pigs (CTRL).
Project description:The gut microbiota is closely associated with digestion, metabolism, immunity, and host health. The imbalance of the microbial community in livestock directly affects their well-being and, consequently, productivity. The composition and diversity of the gut microbiota are influenced not only by host genetics but also by environmental factors such as the microbial complexity of the rearing environment, feeds, and antibiotics. Here, we focus on the comparison of gut microbial communities in miniature pigs developed for xenotransplantation in specific pathogen-free (SPF) and conventional (non-SPF) facilities. To identify the disparities in gut microbial composition and functionality between these two environments, 16S RNA metagenome sequencing was conducted using fecal samples. The results revealed that the non-SPF pigs had higher gut microbiota diversity than the SPF pigs. The genera Streptococcus and Ruminococcus were more abundant in SPF pigs than in non-SPF pigs. Blautia, Bacteroides, and Roseburia were exclusively observed in SPF pigs, whereas Prevotella was exclusively found in non-SPF pigs. Carbohydrate and nucleotide metabolism, as well as environmental information processing, were predicted to be enriched in SPF pigs. In addition, energy and lipid metabolism, along with processes related to genetic information, cellular communication, and diseases, were predicted to be enriched in non-SPF pigs. This study makes an important contribution to elucidating the impact of environments harboring a variety of microorganisms, including pathogens, on the gut microbiota of miniature pigs. Furthermore, we sought to provide foundational data on the characteristics of the gut microbiota in genetically modified pigs, which serve as source animals for xenotransplantation.
Project description:Iron is an essential metal for both animals and microbiota, and neonates and infants of humans and animals, in general, are at the risk of iron insufficient. However, excess dietary iron usually causes negative impacts on the host and microbiota. This study aimed to investigate over-loaded dietary iron supplementation on growth performance, the distribution pattern of iron in the gut lumen and the host, intestinal microbiota, and intestine gene expression profile of piglets. Sixty healthy weaning piglets were randomly assigned to six groups: fed with diets supplemented with ferrous sulfate monohydrate at the dose of 50ppm (Fe50 group), 100ppm (Fe100 group), 200ppm (Fe200 group), 500ppm (Fe500 group), and 800ppm (Fe800) for three weeks. The results indicated that increasing iron had no effects on growth performance but increased diarrheal risk and iron deposition in intestinal digesta, tissues of intestine and liver, and serum. High iron also reduced serum iron-binding capacity, apolipoprotein, and immunoglobin A. The RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that iron changed colonic gene expression profile, such as interferon gamma-signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 based anti-virus and bacteria gene network. Increasing iron also shifted cecal and colonic microbiota, such as reducing alpha diversity, Clostridiales and Lactobacillus reuteri, and increasing Lactobacillus and Lactobacillus amylovorus. Collectively, this study demonstrated that high dietary iron increased diarrheal incidence, changed intestinal immune response-associated gene expression, and shifts gut microbiota. The results would enhance our knowledge of iron effects on the gut and microbiome in piglets, and further contribute to understanding these aspects in humans.
Project description:To investigate the impact of gut microbiota deleting and colonizing on hypothalamic health and function, the tissue samples from the germ-free (GF) pigs and the GF pigs colonized gut microbiota (CG) are used to perform whole RNA-seq for gene expression analysis We then performed long RNAs and small RNAs expression profiling analysis using data obtained from the RNA-seq of 3 different hypothalamus samples from the two groups of pigs
Project description:The mammalian gut harbors a diverse microbial community (gut microbiota) that mainly consists of bacteria. Their combined genomes (the microbiome) provide biochemical and metabolic functions that complement host physiology. Maintaining symbiosis seems to be a key requirement for health as dysbiosis is associated with the development of common diseases. Previous studies indicated that the microbiota and the hostM-bM-^@M-^Ys epithelium signal bidirectional inducing transcriptional responses to fine-tune and maintain symbiosis. However, little is known about the hostM-bM-^@M-^Ys responses to the microbiota along the length of the gut as earlier studies of gut microbial ecology mostly used either colonic or fecal samples. This is of importance as not only function and architecture of the gut varies along its length but also microbial distribution and diversity. Few recent studies have begun to investigate microbiota-induced host responses along the length of the gut. However, these reports used whole tissue samples and therefore do not allow drawing conclusions about specificity of the observed responses. Which cells in the intestinal tissue are responsible for the microbially induced response: epithelial, mesenchymal or immune cells? Where are the responding cells located? Furthermore, the gut microbiota has been implicated in epigenetic regulation of the hostM-bM-^@M-^Ys transcriptional profile. We used using extensive microarray analysis of laser capture microdissection (LCM) harvested ileal and colonic tip and crypt fractions from germ-free mice before and during the time course of colonization with a normal microbiota (on days 1, 3, 5 and 7) to investigate the microbiota-induced transcriptional responses and their kinetics in specific and well-defined cell populations of the hostM-bM-^@M-^Ys epithelium. Ileum and colon segments were dissected from germ-free 10-12 weeks old female C57Bl/6 mice and on day 1, 3, 5 and 7 after colonization, washed and frozen as OCT blocks. Cryosections were prepared from these OCT blocks and tip/crypt fractions isolated using laser capture microdissection. To investigate the microbiota-induced transcriptional responses specific for specific subpopulations of intestinal epithelial cells and their kinetics, tip and crypt fractions of ileal and colonic epithelium of germ-free 10-12 weeks old female C57Bl/6 mice before and during the time course of colonization with a normal microbiota (on days 1, 3, 5 and 7) were harvested using laser capture microdissection and probed in an extensive microarray analysis.