Important Metabolic Pathways and Biological Processes Expressed by Chicken Cecal Microbiota

Abstract

The gut microbiota plays important roles in its host. However, how each microbiota member contributes to the behavior of the whole population is not known. In this study, we therefore determined protein expression in the cecal microbiota in chickens of selected ages and in 7-day-old chickens inoculated with different cecal extracts on the day of hatching. Campylobacter, Helicobacter, Mucispirillum, and Megamonas overgrew in the ceca of 7-day-old chickens inoculated with cecal extracts from donor hens. Firmicutes were characterized by ABC and phosphotransferase system (PTS) transporters, extensive acyl coenzyme A (acylCoA) metabolism, and expression of L-fucose isomerase. Anaerostipes, Anaerotruncus, Pseudoflavonifractor, Dorea, Blautia, and Subdoligranulum expressed spore proteins. Firmicutes (Faecalibacterium, Butyrivibrio, Megasphaera, Subdoligranulum, Oscillibacter, Anaerostipes, and Anaerotruncus) expressed enzymes required for butyrate production. Megamonas, Phascolarctobacterium, and Blautia (exceptions from the phylum Firmicutes) and all Bacteroidetes expressed enzymes for propionate production pathways. Representatives of Bacteroidetes also expressed xylose isomerase, enzymes required for polysaccharide degradation, and ExbBD, TonB, and outer membrane receptors likely to be involved in oligosaccharide transport. Based on our data, Anaerostipes, Anaerotruncus, and Subdoligranulum might be optimal probiotic strains, since these represent spore-forming butyrate producers. However, certain care should be taken during microbiota transplantation because the microbiota may behave differently in the intestinal tract of a recipient depending on how well the existing communities are established.

Insights into Broilers' Gut Microbiota Fed with Phosphorus, Calcium, and Phytase Supplemented Diets

“…This genus is one of the most prominent butyrate producers, providing energy to the colonic mucosa and known to regulate gene expression, inflammation, differentiation, and apoptosis in host cells (Luo et al, 2013). Pseudoflavonifractor , detected in digesta and mucosa, is a common caeca colonizer that has a protein from class IV alcohol dehydrogenase that influences the final butyrate production pathway (Polansky et al, 2015). Erysipelotrichaceae incertae sedis previously reported in chicken caeca (Stanley et al, 2012) was detected more consistently throughout the diets in digesta samples and the same applied to Streptococcus in the mucosa.…”

Insect-based diet, a promising nutritional source, modulates gut microbiota composition and SCFAs production in laying hens

“…SCFAs play an important role in gut physiology, and especially butyrate, serves as energy source for colonic epithelial cells. In addition, SCFAs negatively affect the expression of virulence factors of bacterial pathogens 13 . In our study, total SCFAs, in particular propionate and butyrate, were higher in ID than in SD hens.…”

“…The gut microbiota plays an important role in its vertebrate host facilitating the digestion of food or feed components 13 , fermenting the diet ingredients to short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as major products 14 . In chickens, the gut microbiota is still under observation and the predominant microbes in the duodenum, caecum and feces belong to Firmicutes (30–50%) and Bacteroidetes phyla (between 10 and 50%) 15,16 .…”

Housing Systems Influence Gut Microbiota Composition of Sows but Not of Their Piglets

“…On the other hand, out of 7 genera exhibiting higher abundance in the microbiota of sows kept in enriched pens, 4 belonged to phylum Bacteroidetes and 1 to phylum Fibrobacteres . The representatives of Bacteroidetes and Fibrobacteres were repeatedly characterized as having the potential to metabolise non-soluble polysaccharides like cellulose, hemicellulose or pectin [25–27]. Since part of the enriched production system was a deep bedding of straw, the ingestion of straw enriched the feed with non-soluble polysaccharides and likely positively selected for the representatives of Bacteroidetes and Fibrobacteres .…”

“…The development of fecal microbiota in early days of piglet life was quite rapid and at least in the first days of life was not determined by sow microbiota. This is different from newly hatched chicken which can be easily populated by microbiota from adult hens [27]. It is likely the different feed composition delays the population of piglet intestinal tract by microbiota from adult sows.…”