Table_4_Gut Microbiota in Dholes During Estrus.xlsx

The co-evolution of gut microbes and the host plays a vital role in the survival and reproduction of the host. The dhole (Cuon alpinus) has been listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; therefore, conservation and effective breeding of dholes are essential. Effective estrus can promote reproduction. However, little is known about the relative contribution of estrus in shaping the structure and the functions of fecal microbiota. Here, we investigated the potential association between estrus and the fecal microbiota in dholes using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We found that the estrus stages in dholes vary significantly in terms of gut bacterial composition and microbiome metabolism and function. Compared with that of non-estrus, adult dholes, the microbiome of estrus adult dholes had a significantly higher abundance of Bacillus faecalis and Veillonella, which play a key role in the synthesis of sex hormones and nucleic acids, energy production, and reproductive cell division. The insulin and energy metabolism-related pathways are significantly enhanced in the gut microbes and the related gluconeogenic enzymes are significantly enriched during estrus. These findings suggest that the structure and metagenome of the fecal microbiome during estrus have a significant effect in promoting estrus in dholes, thus providing a new perspective for dhole conservation.

肠道微生物与宿主的共进化，对于宿主的生存与繁衍至关重要。豺（Cuon alpinus）已被国际自然保护联盟（International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN）列为濒危物种，因此对其开展保护与高效繁育工作至关重要。有效发情可促进繁殖，但目前学界对发情在塑造粪便微生物群结构与功能中所发挥的相对贡献尚不清楚。本研究采用鸟枪宏基因组测序（shotgun metagenomic sequencing）技术，探究了豺发情状态与粪便微生物群之间的潜在关联。研究发现，豺的发情阶段在肠道细菌组成、微生物群代谢及功能层面均存在显著差异。与非发情期成年豺的粪便微生物群相比，发情期成年豺的粪便微生物群中，粪芽孢杆菌（Bacillus faecalis）与韦荣球菌属（Veillonella）的丰度显著升高——这两类菌群在性激素与核酸合成、能量产生以及生殖细胞分裂过程中均发挥关键作用。发情期时，肠道微生物中与胰岛素及能量代谢相关的通路显著增强，相关糖异生酶的丰度也显著富集。上述研究结果表明，发情期粪便微生物群的结构与宏基因组，对豺的发情过程具有显著促进作用，从而为豺的保护工作提供了全新视角。