Metabolomic and metagenomic data integration of fecal samples from Nellore steers: an approach to understand the metabolic interactions between the host and the microbiome and predict biomarkers of feed efficiency

• Grant number: 23/17798-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: September 13, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Luciana Correia de Almeida Regitano
• Grantee: Aline Teixeira do Brasil Morais Trimidi
• Supervisor: Hanne Christine Bertram
• Host Institution: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Aarhus University, Denmark
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/01149-0 - Omics integration of different tissues from Nelore steers submitted to different diets and its association with feed efficiency, beef quality, and methane emission, BP.PD

Abstract

The concept of hologenome has been explored to elucidate the symbiotic relationship between the microbiome and their host. This symbiotic association is biologically known as holobiont whose interaction affects directly the development and the genetic information of the hologenome. Ruminants has a large compartment, the rumen, where complex polysaccharides found in pastures are broken down through microbial fermentation. The diverse microbial community convert complex polysaccharides found in the diet of the animal into proteins, volatile fatty acids and gases. The end-products of this process play an important role to animal fitness providing energy for metabolic functions for example, animal growth, development and system modulation. Nevertheless, the byproducts produced during the fermentation process, such as methane gas-a potent greenhouse gas-have significant environmental repercussions.Our team has investigated the potential applications of the Hologenome concept within the beef cattle industry, aiming to develop an approach that promotes sustainable agriculture. We have produced structural and functional genomic data in a Nellore reference population, thus revealing the main actors in the regulation of gene expression and biological processes relevant to meat quality and food efficiency traits. We also pinpointed how the ruminal and fecal metagenome composition and functionality, as well as the metabolomic profile, may be associated with production and sustainability traits, such as feed efficiency and methane emission in Nellore beef cattle. Nellore breed (Bos indicus) is the most important beef cattle breed in Brazil due to its productivity, adaptability to tropical climate and resistance parasites. A partnership with the Brazilian Zebu Breeders' Association (ABCZ) has granted access to the phenotypic information, fecal samples in the feedlot period from participants of the National Young Sires Evaluation Test (PNAT) since 2019 to answer crucial questions about the interrelation of functional diversity of the microbiota and the host environment.In this context, the current proposal aims to explore the correlation between the microbiome and metabolites linked to the feed efficiency and optimal performance of beef cattle. The objective is to identify potential polar metabolite markers that can predict the microbiome profile in beef cattle, specifically related to feed efficiency. Examples of such polar metabolites include 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, 2-hydroxyvaleric acid, 5-aminovaleric acid, 4-hydroxybutyrate, lauric acid, and lactic acid. These compounds, derived from carbohydrates, have been previously described as potential biomarkers of the microbiome associated with high feed efficiency in dairy cattle.