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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1342804
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights in Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems: 2023 View all 15 articles

Age-related compositional and functional changes in adult and breastfed buffalo rumen microbiome

Provisionally accepted
Yixue Xu Yixue Xu 1Tong Feng Tong Feng 2Zixu Ding Zixu Ding 1Ling Li Ling Li 1,3Zhipeng Li Zhipeng Li 1Kuiqing Cui Kuiqing Cui 4Wei-Hua Chen Wei-Hua Chen 2Hongping Pan Hongping Pan 1Peng Zhu Peng Zhu 1,5*Qingyou Liu Qingyou Liu 1,4*
  • 1 Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
  • 2 Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • 3 Guangxi Key Laboratory of Buffalo Genetics, Nanning, China
  • 4 Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China
  • 5 Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The buffalo is an important domestic animal globally, providing milk, meat, and labor to more than 2 billion people of 67 countries. The rumen microorganisms of buffaloes play an indispensable role in enabling the healthy functionality and digestive function of buffalo organisms. Currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the differences in composition and function of rumen microorganisms among buffaloes at different growth stages. In this study, metagenomics sequencing technology was applied to examine the compositional and functional differences of rumen microorganisms in adult and breastfed buffaloes.The results revealed that the rumen of adult buffaloes had significantly higher levels of the following dominant genera: Prevotella, UBA1711, RF16, Saccharofermentans, F23-D06, UBA1777, RUG472, and Methanobrevibacter_A. Interestingly, the dominant genera specific to the rumen of adult buffaloes showed a significant positive correlation (correlation>0.5, p-value<0.05) with both lignocellulose degradation-related carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and immune signaling pathways activated by antigenic stimulation. The rumen of breastfed buffaloes had significantly higher levels of the following dominant genera: UBA629, CAG-791, Selenomonas_C, Treponema_D, Succinivibrio, and RC9. The rumen-dominant genera specific to breastfed buffaloes were simultaneously significantly positively correlated (correlation>0.5, p-value<0.05) with CAZymes associated with lactose degradation, amino acid synthesis pathways, and antibiotic-producing pathways. This indicates that the rumen microorganisms in breastfed buffaloes are more involved in the degradation of lactose and amino acids and antibiotic production.In conclusion, these findings suggest a close relationship between differences in rumen microbes and the survival needs of buffaloes at different growth stages.

    Keywords: Buffalo, microorganisms, Metagenomics, Immunity, Lignocellulose

    Received: 22 Nov 2023; Accepted: 07 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xu, Feng, Ding, Li, Li, Cui, Chen, Pan, Zhu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Peng Zhu, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, 535011, China
    Qingyou Liu, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China

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