Rumen and Fecal Microbiota Characteristics of Qinchuan Cattle with Divergent Residual Feed Intake

Abstract

Residual feed intake (RFI) is one of the indicators of feed efficiency. To investigate the microbial characteristics and differences in the gastrointestinal tract of beef cattle with different RFI, a metagenome methodology was used to explore the characteristics of the rumen and fecal microbiota in 10 Qinchuan cattle (five in each of the extremely high and extremely low RFI groups). The results of taxonomic annotation revealed that Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the most dominant phyla in rumen and feces. Prevotella was identified as a potential biomarker in the rumen of the LRFI group by the LEfSe method, while Turicibacter and Prevotella might be potential biomarkers of the HRFI and LRFI group in feces, respectively. Functional annotation revealed that the microbiota in the rumen of the HRFI group had a greater ability to utilize dietary polysaccharides and dietary protein. Association analysis of rumen microbes (genus level) with host genes revealed that microbiota including Prevotella, Paraprevotella, Treponema, Oscillibacter, and Muribaculum, were significantly associated with differentially expressed genes regulating RFI. This study discovered variances in the microbial composition of rumen and feces of beef cattle with different RFIs, demonstrating that differences in microbes may play a critical role in regulating the bovine divergent RFI phenotype variations.

miRNA-microbiome interplay is related to Bos indicus feed efficiency

“…With a role in digesting complex polysaccharides, such as cellulose and hemicellulose, the genus Prevotella has been associated with lower feed e ciency in cattle 45 and pigs 46 . However, Prevotella was recently identi ed as a potential biomarker for e cient beef cattle 47 . The Prevotella genus, with 29 known species, contains cellulolytic bacteria that degrade cellulose into acetic, isobutyric, isovaleric, and lactic acid, providing energy for the host 48 .…”

“…Furthermore, the miRNA MEturquoise was negatively correlated with RFI in the module-trait association analysis. Bacteroidales is an order of bacteria that includes the genus Prevotella and is commonly associated with feed e ciency in bovines 47 . This genus is one of the most abundant taxa in the rumen, with species that grow on starch, protein, peptides, hemicellulose, and pectin and, similar to what we found in our study, can be both positively and negatively correlated with FE in beef and dairy cattle 59 .…”