Table_4_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.

为提升生猪生产性能，需改善饲料利用率（Feed Efficiency, FE）；但目前肠道微生物调控生猪饲料利用率的具体机制尚未完全阐明。为探究高低饲料利用率生猪肠道菌群组成与功能的差异，本研究以饲料转化率（Feed Conversion Ratios, FCR）存在显著差异的雌性长白育肥猪为研究对象，采用16S rRNA测序表征菌群组成、鸟枪法宏基因组学开展功能注释，并通过气相色谱-飞行时间质谱联用仪（GC-TOF-MS）构建代谢组图谱。研究发现，乳酸杆菌属在低FCR（即高饲料利用率）个体的肠道菌群中富集，而普雷沃氏菌属的丰度在高FCR（即低饲料利用率）个体中显著更高，该现象或与碳水化合物代谢及消化不完全有关。饲料利用率较低的生猪，其辅因子与维生素代谢相关通路的活性显著更高。本研究还发现丙酮酸相关代谢通路存在差异，涵盖苯丙氨酸与赖氨酸代谢通路。这表明丙酮酸代谢与结肠微生物发酵密切相关，进而对糖酵解过程产生影响。本研究加深了学界对肠道菌群与生猪生长性状关联机制的认知，同时也为通过调控菌群组成改善生猪饲料利用率提供了理论支撑。不过未来仍需通过更大规模的生猪队列对本研究结果进行验证。