Comparative biogeography of the gut microbiome between Jinhua and Landrace pigs

Abstract

The intestinal microbiome is critically important in shaping a variety of host physiological responses. However, it remains elusive on how gut microbiota impacts overall growth and more specifically, adipogenesis. Using the pig as an animal model, we compared the differences in bacterial community structure throughout the intestinal tract in two breeds (Landrace and Jinhua) of pigs with distinct phenotypes. The Landrace is a commercial purebred and the Jinhua is a Chinese indigenous, slow-growing breed with high propensity for fat deposition. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we revealed that the bacterial communities are more diverse in the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum of Jinhua pigs than in those of Landrace pigs, whereas the ileal and colonic microbiota show a similar complexity between the two breeds. Furthermore, a number of bacterial taxa differentially exist in Jinhua and Landrace pigs throughout the entire intestinal tract, with the jejunal and ileal microbiome showing the greatest contrast. Functional prediction of the bacterial community suggested increased fatty acid biosynthesis in Jinghua pigs, which could partially explain their adiposity phenotype. Further studies are warranted to experimentally verify the relative contribution of each enriched bacterial species and their effect on adipogenesis and animal growth.

ZnO Modulates Swine Gut Microbiota and Improves Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs When Combined with Peptide Cocktail

“…Fecal swab samples were used to represent swine gut microbiota. Although not ideal due to the biogeography variation of swine gut microbiota [47], fecal rectal swabs are the best samples to represent the gut microbiome for longitudinal studies to follow the same sets of animals without sacrificing the animals. Our results indicated that the peptide and high-level ZnO combination…”

“…Fecal swab samples were used to represent swine gut microbiota. Although not ideal due to the biogeography variation of swine gut microbiota [47], fecal rectal swabs are the best samples to represent the gut microbiome for longitudinal studies to follow the same sets of animals without sacrificing the animals. Our results indicated that the peptide and high-level ZnO combination restored the performance parameters of the weanling piglets fed nutrient-deficient diets, particularly at the highest peptide concentration (0.5%) level, whereas peptide supplementation at each concentration with standard-level zinc failed to produce any improvement.…”

“…We elected to use a swab method to collect fecal samples, whereas they collected digesta from the stomach or ileum. The microbial population changes in density and composition along the gastrointestinal tract [47,80]. Thus, analysis of samples taken from different locations in the gut could vary significantly.…”

Cecal microbiota affects chicken growth performance by regulating fat metabolism

“…Moreover, the average diameter of adipocytes in low body weight chickens was much larger indicating that more synthesized fat was stored in abdominal adipose tissue in low body weight chickens. As a result, excessive fat deposition affected growth performance [45]. These results indicate that the differential fat metabolism level is the key factor leading to differences in growth performance.…”

“…At the same time, the expression of fat catabolism-related genes increased, ultimately promoting the oxidative catabolism of fatty acids, thereby providing energy for the growth and development of chickens [42][43][44]. Abdominal adipose tissue is the main organ of fat synthesis and deposition; the upregulated expression of adipocyte differentiationrelated genes can mediate excessive proliferation and differentiation of adipocytes, causing excessive deposition of fat in animal bodies [45]. In the present study, the expression of fat synthesis-and adipocyte differentiation-related genes in low body weight chickens was signi cantly higher than in high body weight chickens, increasing fat synthesis in abdominal adipose tissue.…”