A novel chicken gene linked to abdominal fat deposition via serum metabolites by regulating muribaculaceae

Abdominal fat weight (AFW) is a complex economic trait in broiler chickens and is subject to the combined effects of genetic and environmental factors. Nevertheless, the mechanisms governing abdominal fat formation in broilers remain incompletely understood. To explore this issue, we established a cohort of 205 experimental chickens and collected AFW phenotypic data and multi-omics datasets encompassing host genomics, the cecal microbiome and serum metabolomics. Using Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), random forest and two-part models, we interrogated the interplay between host genetics and cecal microbiota, delineating their individual and combinatorial contributions to the regulatory mechanisms governing abdominal fat deposition (AFD) in chickens. The results identified a novel gene ENSGALG00010010675 on the chicken Z chromosome that influenced the abundance of the cecal microbiota Muribaculaceae, This taxon in turn regulated metabolites including sorbitol 6-phosphate, xanthosine 5'-monophosphate, and gallic acid, thereby promoting AFD. We also identified two cecal bacterial taxa, ASV112_Blautia and ASV179_g_[Ruminococcus]_torques_group, which exert a reducing effect on chicken AFD by directly modulating serum metabolites. In summary, this study systematically investigated the complex interplay among genetics, gut microbiota and serum metabolites during abdominal fat deposition in chickens. This study further identified potential gut microbial regulatory targets for reducing abdominal fat and clarifying research directions for mitigating abdominal fat accumulation.