Association between Host Genetics of Sheep and the Rumen Microbial Composition

Abstract

Background: The gut microbiome is very significant in the stability of the rumen ecosystem, also in the maintenance of the host’s health. The gut flora influences the nutritional, physiological, immunological, and directly or indirectly affects the host’s well-being. A synergy between the rumen microbiota and the host genetics creates a symbiotic relationship, beneficial to the host’s health. In this study, the association between the host genetics and rumen microbiome of Damara and Meatmaster sheep was investigated. The composition of rumen microbiota was estimated through the analysis of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, while the sheep blood DNA was genotyped with Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip and the genome-wide association (GWA) was analyzed. Results: Sixty significant SNPs dispersed in 21 regions across the Ovis aries genome were found to be associated with the relative abundance of seven genera: Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Clostridium, Flavobacterium, Prevotella, Pseudomonas and Streptobacillus. A total of eighty-four candidate genes were identified, and their functional annotations were mainly associated with immunity responses and function, metabolism, and signal transduction. Conclusion: We are of the opinion, as evident from our results that candidate genes identified may be modulating the composition of rumen microbiota and, thus further indicate the significance of comprehending the interactions between the host and rumen microbiota to gain better insight into the health of sheep. We conclude that host genetics is important in modulating microbial composition; though various factors may alter the rumen microbiota. More studies are necessary to help determine genetic combinations favorable for the propagation of beneficial microbiota and provide excellent intestinal health.