Zhang Rui, Zhang Liwa, An Xuejiao, Li Jianye, Niu Chune, Zhang Jinxia, Geng Zhiguang, Xu Tao, Yang Bohui, Xu Zhenfei, Yue Yaojing
Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.
Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.
Front Vet Sci. 2024 Sep 25;11:1455029. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1455029. eCollection 2024.
Hybridization can substantially improve growth performance. This study used metagenomics and metabolome sequencing to examine whether the rumen microbiota and its metabolites contributed to this phenomenon. We selected 48 approximately 3 month-old male ♂Hu × ♀Hu (HH, = 16), ♂Poll Dorset × ♀Hu (DH, = 16), and ♂Southdown × ♀Hu (SH, = 16) lambs having similar body weight. The sheep were fed individually under the same nutritional and management conditions for 95 days. After completion of the trial, seven sheep close to the average weight per group were slaughtered to collect rumen tissue and content samples to measure rumen epithelial parameters, fermentation patterns, microbiota, and metabolite profiles. The final body weight (FBW), average daily gain (ADG), and dry matter intake (DMI) values in the DH and SH groups were significantly higher and the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) significantly lower than the value in the HH group; additionally, the papilla height in the DH group was higher than that in the HH group. Acetate, propionate, and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in the DH group were higher than those in the HH group, whereas NH-N concentration decreased in the DH and SH groups. Metagenomic analysis revealed that several and species were significantly more abundant in the DH group, contributing to an increased ability to degrade dietary cellulose and enrich their functions in enzymes involved in carbohydrate breakdown. was higher in the SH group, indicating a greater ability to digest dietary fiber. Metabolomic analysis revealed that the concentrations of rumen metabolites (mainly lysophosphatidylethanolamines [LPEs]) were higher in the DH group, and microbiome-related metabolite analysis indicated that and were positively correlated with the LPEs. Moreover, we found methionine sulfoxide and N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid were characteristic metabolites in the DH and SH groups, respectively, and are related to oxidative stress, indicating that the environmental adaptability of crossbred sheep needs to be further improved. These findings substantially deepen the general understanding of how hybridization promotes growth performance from the perspective of rumen microbiota, this is vital for the cultivation of new species and the formulation of precision nutrition strategies for sheep.
杂交可显著提高生长性能。本研究采用宏基因组学和代谢组测序技术，以探究瘤胃微生物群及其代谢产物是否促成了这一现象。我们选取了48只体重相近、约3月龄的雄性♂湖羊×♀湖羊（HH，n = 16）、♂陶赛特×♀湖羊（DH，n = 16）和♂萨福克×♀湖羊（SH，n = 16）羔羊。这些羊在相同的营养和管理条件下单独饲养95天。试验结束后，每组宰杀7只接近平均体重的羊，采集瘤胃组织和内容物样本，以测量瘤胃上皮参数、发酵模式、微生物群和代谢产物谱。DH组和SH组的末体重（FBW）、平均日增重（ADG）和干物质采食量（DMI）值显著高于HH组，料重比（F/G）显著低于HH组；此外，DH组的乳头高度高于HH组。DH组的乙酸、丙酸和总挥发性脂肪酸（VFA）浓度高于HH组，而DH组和SH组的NH₃-N浓度降低。宏基因组分析显示，DH组中几种特定的物种显著更为丰富，有助于提高降解日粮纤维素的能力，并丰富其在参与碳水化合物分解的酶中的功能。SH组中某特定物种的丰度更高，表明其消化膳食纤维的能力更强。代谢组分析显示，DH组瘤胃代谢产物（主要是溶血磷脂酰乙醇胺[LPEs]）的浓度更高，微生物群相关代谢产物分析表明特定物种与LPEs呈正相关。此外，我们发现蛋氨酸亚砜和N-甲基-4-氨基丁酸分别是DH组和SH组的特征性代谢产物，且与氧化应激有关，这表明杂交绵羊的环境适应性有待进一步提高。这些发现从瘤胃微生物群的角度极大地加深了我们对杂交如何促进生长性能的总体理解，这对于新物种的培育和绵羊精准营养策略的制定至关重要。
