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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1437250

Functional analysis of microorganisms and metabolites in the cecum of different sheep populations and their effects on production traits

Provisionally accepted
QUANLU MENG QUANLU MENG 1,2*Zhixiong Tang Zhixiong Tang 1,2*Feifei Yang Feifei Yang 1,2*Jinping Shi Jinping Shi 1,2Ting Liu Ting Liu 1,2*Shuru Cheng Shuru Cheng 1,2*
  • 1 Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
  • 2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of intestinal microbiota on the growth and production performance of different groups of sheep, focusing on the role of cecal microbiota in regulating intestinal function, enhancing digestion and absorption, and improving feed utilization. The production performance of MG×STH (Mongolia × Small Tailed Han) F1 hybrids and purebred STH (Small Tailed Han) sheep by measuring various factors, including enzyme activities and VFAs (volatile fatty acids), to analyze changes in cecal fermentation parameters across different sheep groups. Metagenomic and metabolomic sequencing combined with bioinformatics to analyze the cecal contents of the two sheep populations. The study findings indicated that the MG×STH F1 hybrids outperformed the purebred STH in terms of body weight, height, oblique body length, and VFAs (P < 0.05). Additionally, the MG×STH F1 higher levels of protease and cellulase in the cecum compared to the purebred sheep (P < 0.05). Metagenomic analysis identified 4034 different microorganisms at the species level. Five differential organisms (Akkermansiaceae bacterium, Escherichia coli, unclassified p Firmicutes, Streptococcus equinus, Methanobrevibacter millerae) positively regulated sheep performance. Metabolomics identified 822 differential metabolites indoleacetaldehyde, 2-aminobenzoic acid, phenyl-Alanine, enol-phenylpyruvate and n-acetylserotonin were associated with improved performance of sheep. The combined results from the metagenomic and metabolomic studies suggest a positive correlation between specific microbes and metabolites and the performance of the sheep. In conclusion, the MG×STH F1 hybrids demonstrated superior growth performance compared to the purebred STH sheep. The identified microorganisms and metabolites have promising roles in positively regulating sheep growth and can be considered key targets for enhancing sheep performance.

    Keywords: Sheep, Performance of production, Cecum, microorganisms, Metabolites

    Received: 28 May 2024; Accepted: 27 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 MENG, Tang, Yang, Shi, Liu and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    QUANLU MENG, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
    Zhixiong Tang, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
    Feifei Yang, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
    Ting Liu, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
    Shuru Cheng, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.