Table_5_Variations in Microbial Diversity and Metabolite Profiles of Female Landrace Finishing Pigs With Distinct Feed Efficiency.DOCX

To enhance pig production, feed efficiency (FE) should be improved; however, the mechanisms by which gut microbes affect FE in pigs have not been fully elucidated. To investigate the differences between the composition and functionality of the gut microbiota associated with low and high FE, microbial compositions were characterized using 16S rRNA sequencing, functional annotations were performed by shotgun metagenomics, and metabolomic profiles were created by GC-TOF-MS from female Landrace finishing pigs with low and high feed conversion ratios (FCRs). Lactobacillus was enriched in the gut microbiota of individuals with low FCRs (and thus high FE), while Prevotella abundance was significantly higher in individuals with high FCRs (and thus low FE). This may be linked to carbohydrate consumption and incomplete digestion. The activity of pathways involved in the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins was greater in pigs with lower FE. We also identified differences in pyruvate-related metabolism, including phenylalanine and lysine metabolism. This suggests that pyruvate metabolism is closely related to microbial fermentation in the colon, which in turn affects glycolysis. This study deepens our understanding of how gut microbiota are related to pig growth traits, and how regulating microbial composition could aid in improving porcine FE. However, these results need to be validated using a larger pig cohort in the future.

为提升生猪养殖生产效益，需改善饲料利用效率（feed efficiency, FE）；但目前肠道微生物对猪饲料利用效率的调控机制尚未完全阐明。为探究高、低饲料利用效率猪只的肠道菌群组成与功能差异，本研究针对料重比（feed conversion ratios, FCRs）存在显著差异的雌性长白育肥猪，采用16S rRNA测序技术表征菌群组成，通过宏基因组鸟枪法进行功能注释，并利用GC-TOF-MS技术构建代谢组谱。低料重比（即高饲料利用效率）猪只的肠道菌群中富集乳酸杆菌属（Lactobacillus），而高料重比（即低饲料利用效率）猪只的肠道菌群中普雷沃氏菌属（Prevotella）丰度显著升高。这一现象可能与碳水化合物代谢及消化不完全相关。低饲料利用效率猪只的辅因子与维生素代谢通路活性更高。本研究还发现了丙酮酸相关代谢通路的差异，包括苯丙氨酸代谢与赖氨酸代谢通路。这表明丙酮酸代谢与结肠微生物发酵密切相关，进而影响糖酵解过程。本研究加深了我们对肠道菌群与猪生长性状关联机制的理解，同时为通过调控菌群组成改善猪只饲料利用效率提供了理论支撑。但未来需通过更大规模的猪只队列对本研究结果进行验证。