Fletcher Lauren, Akhtar Nadeem, Zhan Xiaoshu, Jafarikia Mohsen, Sullivan Brian P, Huber Lee-Anne, Li Julang
Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
Department of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528231, China.
Metabolites. 2022 Oct 30;12(11):1045. doi: 10.3390/metabo12111045.
The selection of sows that are reproductively fit and produce large litters of piglets is imperative for success in the pork industry. Currently, low heritability of reproductive and litter-related traits and unfavourable genetic correlations are slowing the improvement of pig selection efficiency. The integration of biomarkers as a supplement or alternative to the use of genetic markers may permit the optimization and increase of selection protocol efficiency. Metabolite biomarkers are an advantageous class of biomarkers that can facilitate the identification of cellular processes implicated in reproductive condition. Metabolism and metabolic biomarkers have been previously implicated in studies of female mammalian fertility, however a systematic analysis across multiple biofluids in infertile and high reproductive potential phenotypes has not been explored. In the current study, the serum, urinary and salivary metabolomes of infertile (INF) sows and high reproductive potential (HRP) sows with a live litter size ≥ 13 piglets were examined using LC-MS/MS techniques, and a data pipeline was used to highlight possible metabolite reproductive biomarkers discriminating the reproductive groups. The metabolomes of HRP and INF sows were distinct, including significant alterations in amino acid, fatty acid, membrane lipid and steroid hormone metabolism. Carnitines and fatty acid related metabolites were most discriminatory in separating and classifying the HRP and INF sows based on their biofluid metabolome. It appears that urine is a superior biofluid than saliva and serum for potentially predicting the reproductive potential level of a given female pig based on the performance of the resultant biomarker models. This study lays the groundwork for improving gilt and sow selection protocols using metabolomics as a tool for the prediction of reproductive potential.
选择繁殖性能良好且能产出大量仔猪的母猪对于猪肉行业的成功至关重要。目前,繁殖和窝产相关性状的低遗传力以及不利的遗传相关性正在减缓猪选择效率的提高。整合生物标志物作为遗传标记使用的补充或替代方法,可能会优化并提高选择方案的效率。代谢物生物标志物是一类具有优势的生物标志物,能够促进对与生殖状况相关的细胞过程的识别。代谢和代谢生物标志物先前已涉及雌性哺乳动物生育力的研究,然而,尚未对不育和高繁殖潜力表型的多种生物流体进行系统分析。在本研究中,使用液相色谱-串联质谱技术检测了不育(INF)母猪和活产仔猪数≥13头的高繁殖潜力(HRP)母猪的血清、尿液和唾液代谢组,并使用数据管道突出显示可能区分生殖组的代谢物生殖生物标志物。HRP和INF母猪的代谢组截然不同,包括氨基酸、脂肪酸、膜脂和类固醇激素代谢的显著变化。基于生物流体代谢组,肉碱和脂肪酸相关代谢物在区分和分类HRP和INF母猪方面最具鉴别力。基于所得生物标志物模型的性能,尿液似乎是比唾液和血清更优的生物流体,可用于潜在预测给定母猪的繁殖潜力水平。本研究为利用代谢组学作为预测繁殖潜力的工具来改进后备母猪和母猪选择方案奠定了基础。