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16S rRNA Sequencing Reveals Relationship Between Potent Cellulolytic Genera and Feed Efficiency in the Rumen of Bulls
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2018-08-10
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McGovern E, Kenny DA, McCabe MS, Fitzsimons C, McGee M, Kelly AK and Waters SM (2018) 16S rRNA Sequencing Reveals Relationship Between Potent Cellulolytic Genera and Feed Efficiency in the Rumen of Bulls. Front. Microbiol. 9:1842. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01842
Abstract
The rumen microbial population dictates the host’s feed degradation capacity and
subsequent nutrient supply. The rising global human population and intensifying demand
for animal protein is creating environmental challenges. As a consequence, there is an
increasing requirement for livestock with enhanced nutrient utilization capacity in order
to more efficiently convert plant material to high quality edible muscle. In the current
study, residual feed intake (RFI), a widely used and a highly accepted measure of feed
efficiency in cattle, was calculated for a combination of three cohorts of Simmental
bulls. All animals were managed similarly from birth and offered concentrate ad libitum
in addition to 3 kg of grass silage daily during the finishing period. Solid and liquid rumen
digesta samples collected at slaughter and were analyzed using amplicon sequencing
targeting the 16S rRNA gene utilizing the Illumina MiSeq platform. Volatile fatty acid
analysis was also conducted on the liquid digesta samples. Spearman’s correlation
coefficient was utilized to determine the association between RFI and bacterial and
archaeal taxa and inter-taxonomic relationships. The data indicate a tendency toward
an increase in butyrate (P = 0.06), which corresponds with an increase in plasma
β-hydroxybutyrate concentration in low RFI (LRFI) bulls in comparison to their high
RFI (HRFI) contemporaries (P < 0.05). A decrease in propionate (P < 0.05) was also
recorded in the rumen of LRFI in comparison to HRFI bulls. These results indicate
alternate fermentation patterns in the rumen of LRFI bulls. The data also identified that
OTUs within the phyla Tenericutes, Fibrobacteres, and Cyanobacteria may potentially
influence RFI phenotype. In particular, a negative association between F. succinogenes
and RFI was evident. The unique cellulolytic metabolism of F. succinogenes suggests
it could contribute to host efficiency by providing substrate to the host ruminant
and other microbial populations (e.g., Selenomonas ruminantium, Methanobrevibacter,
and Methanomassiliicoccaceae) in the rumen. This study provides evidence that
bacterial OTUs within common phyla could influence ruminant feed efficiency phenotype
through their role in ruminal degradation of complex plant polysaccharides or increased
capability to harvest nutrients from ingested feed.