Synergistic Responses of Tibetan Sheep Rumen Microbiota, Metabolites, and the Host to the Plateau Environment

Abstract

Plateau adaptation in animals involves genetic mechanisms as well as coevolutionary mechanisms of the microbiota and metabolome of the animal. Therefore, the characteristics of the rumen microbiome and metabolome, transcriptome, and serum metabolome of Tibetan sheep at different altitudes (4500 m, 3500 m, and 2500 m) were analyzed. The results showed that the rumen differential metabolites at 3500 m and 4500 m were mainly enriched in amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism, and there was a significant correlation with microbiota. The differentially expressed genes and metabolites at middle and high altitudes were coenriched in asthma, arachidonic acid metabolism, and butanoate and propanoate metabolism. In addition, the serum differential metabolites at 3500 m and 4500 m were mainly enriched in amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, and they were also related to microbiota. Further analysis revealed that rumen metabolites accounted for 7.65% of serum metabolites. These common metabolites were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways and were significantly correlated with host genes (p < 0.05). This study found that microbiota, metabolites, and epithelial genes were coenriched in pathways related to lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, and immune metabolism, which may be involved in the regulation of Tibetan sheep adaptation to plateau environmental changes.

Supplementation with Astragalus Root Powder Promotes Rumen Microbiota Density and Metabolome Interactions in Lambs

“…These differentially abundant metabolites were enriched mainly for functions related to amino acid synthesis and metabolism and lipid metabolism, suggesting that Astragalus root powder can promote metabolism, immunity, antioxidant activity, and other functions. In addition, the present study revealed that upregulated metabolites were enriched in the metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 and involved bile secretion in the regulation of the immune pathway [ 48 ], and bile has been reported to protect organisms from intestinal infections through the secretion of immunoglobulin A (IgA) and inflammatory cytokines and the stimulation of the intrinsic immune system of the intestinal tract [ 49 ]. Therefore, Astragalus root powder can promote bile secretion and enhance the function of the rumen epithelial immune barrier in lambs.…”