Kilama Justine, Holman Devin B, Bochantin-Winders Kerri A, Hurlbert Jennifer L, Baumgaertner Friederike, Schauer Christopher S, Dahlen Carl R, Amat Samat
Department of Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA.
Lacombe Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada.
J Anim Sci. 2025 Jan 4;103. doi: 10.1093/jas/skaf171.
Evidence suggests that there is a rich and diverse microbial community in the semen of mammals, which may be important in reproductive health and fertility. However, the composition of ram seminal microbiota remains under-characterized, with factors shaping it still largely unknown. The objectives of this study were to; 1) characterize the seminal microbiota of mature rams and their ram lambs using 16S rRNA gene sequencing; 2) evaluate whether managing the mature rams on divergent planes of nutrition can influence their seminal microbiota and that of their male offspring; and 3) compare the seminal microbiota between mature rams and ram lamb cohorts to identify age-related microbiota characteristics. For this, mature rams (n = 24) were assigned to one of the 3 nutritional planes: 1) Positive (POS), to gain 12% of initial body weight (BW) (n = 8), 2) maintenance (MAINT), to maintain BW (n = 8), and 3) negative (NEG), to lose 12% BW (n = 8) over an 84-d period. Semen samples were collected from the mature rams (F0) after 28-d, 56-d, and 84-d from the start of the trial. Following the 84-d period, the 24 rams were used to breed 240 mature ewes over 28-d. After lambing, the ram lambs (F1) sired by POS, MAINT, and NEG rams were maintained on the same diet until 11 months of age, at which semen samples were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from the semen, and the microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4) sequencing. Overall, there was a relatively diverse and dynamic bacterial microbial community in the ram semen, mainly dominated by Actinobacteriota, Bacillota, Bacteroidota, and Proteobacteria phyla. The predominant genera identified included Fastidiosipila, Corynebacterium, Trueperella, Arthrobacter, Dietzia, and Bifidobacterium. The seminal microbial community structure, composition, and alpha diversity of F0 rams was influenced by diet during the first 28-d, but these diet influences later diminished. The paternal plane of nutrition did not influence the seminal microbiota of offspring ram lambs. The mature rams and ram lambs had distinct seminal microbiota, with young rams showing greater microbial richness and diversity (P < 0.005). Our results suggest that there is a relatively diverse and dynamic microbial community present in the semen of both mature rams and ram lambs, and that this microbiota is transiently influenced by diet and age. Managing rams on divergent planes of nutrition may not affect their offspring's seminal microbiota.
有证据表明，哺乳动物精液中存在丰富多样的微生物群落，这可能对生殖健康和生育能力很重要。然而，公羊精液微生物群的组成仍未得到充分表征，影响其组成的因素在很大程度上仍不清楚。本研究的目的是：1）使用16S rRNA基因测序来表征成年公羊及其公羊羔羊的精液微生物群；2）评估在不同营养水平下管理成年公羊是否会影响它们及其雄性后代的精液微生物群；3）比较成年公羊和公羊羔羊群体之间的精液微生物群，以确定与年龄相关的微生物群特征。为此，将成年公羊（n = 24）分配到3种营养水平之一：1）正向（POS），体重增加初始体重（BW）的12%（n = 8），2）维持（MAINT），维持体重（n = 8），3）负向（NEG），在84天内体重减轻12%（n = 8）。在试验开始后的28天、56天和84天从成年公羊（F0）采集精液样本。在84天的周期后，这24只公羊用于在28天内与240只成年母羊配种。产羔后，由POS、MAINT和NEG公羊所生的公羊羔羊（F1）在相同的日粮下饲养至11月龄，此时采集精液样本。从精液中提取基因组DNA，并使用16S rRNA基因（V3-V4）测序分析微生物群。总体而言，公羊精液中存在相对多样且动态的细菌微生物群落，主要由放线菌门、芽孢杆菌门、拟杆菌门和变形菌门主导。鉴定出的主要属包括苛求菌属、棒状杆菌属、特鲁珀菌属、节杆菌属、迪茨氏菌属和双歧杆菌属。F0公羊的精液微生物群落结构、组成和α多样性在试验的前28天受日粮影响，但这些日粮影响随后减弱。父本营养水平不影响后代公羊羔羊的精液微生物群。成年公羊和公羊羔羊有不同的精液微生物群，年轻公羊表现出更高的微生物丰富度和多样性（P < 0.005）。我们的结果表明，成年公羊和公羊羔羊的精液中都存在相对多样且动态的微生物群落，并且这种微生物群会受到日粮和年龄的短暂影响。在不同营养水平下管理公羊可能不会影响其后代的精液微生物群。
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