1
|
Camacho J, Bernal-Rivera A, Peña V, Morales-Sosa P, Robb SMC, Russell J, Yi K, Wang Y, Tsuchiya D, Murillo-García OE, Rohner N. Sugar assimilation underlying dietary evolution of Neotropical bats. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1735-1750. [PMID: 39198571 PMCID: PMC11383804 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02485-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Dietary specializations in animals lead to adaptations in morphology, anatomy and physiology. Neotropical bats, with their high taxonomic and trophic diversity, offer a unique perspective on diet-driven evolutionary adaptations. Here we assess the metabolic response to different dietary sugars among wild-caught bats. We found that insectivorous bats had a pronounced metabolic response to trehalose, whereas bats with nectar and fruit-based diets showed significantly higher blood glucose levels in response to glucose and sucrose, reaching levels over 750 mg dl-1. The genomic analysis of 22 focal species and two outgroup species identified positive selection for the digestive enzyme trehalase in insect eaters, while sucrase-isomaltase showed selection in lineages with omnivorous and nectar diets. By examining anatomical and cellular features of the small intestine, we discovered that dietary sugar proportion strongly impacted numerous digestive traits, providing valuable insight into the physiological implications of molecular adaptations. Using hybridization chain reaction (HCR) RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, we observed unusually high expression in the glucose transporter gene Slc2a2 in nectar bats, while fruit bats increased levels of Slc5a1 and Slc2a5. Overall, this study highlights the intricate interplay between molecular, morphological and physiological aspects of diet evolution, offering new insights into the mechanisms of dietary diversification and sugar assimilation in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Camacho
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA.
| | - Andrea Bernal-Rivera
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Animal, Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Valentina Peña
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | - Sofia M C Robb
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | - Kexi Yi
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Yongfu Wang
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Dai Tsuchiya
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Oscar E Murillo-García
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Animal, Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Szczepanik K, Dobrowolski P, Świątkiewicz M. Effects of Hermetia illucens larvae meal and astaxanthin on intestinal histology and expression of tight junction proteins in weaned piglets. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 2024. [PMID: 39016044 DOI: 10.1111/jpn.14024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
The weaning phase in piglets causes significant physiological stress, disrupts intestinal integrity and reduces productivity, necessitating strategies to improve intestinal health and nutrient absorption. While current research highlights the role of diet in mitigating these adverse effects, identifying effective dietary supplements remains a challenge. This study evaluated the effects of Hermetia illucens (HI) larvae meal and astaxanthin (AST) on the intestinal histology of weaned piglets. In a controlled experiment, 48 weaned piglets were divided into six groups and received varying levels of HI larval meal (2.5% and 5%) and AST in their diets. The methodology involved comprehensive histological examinations of the small intestine, assessing absorption area, villi elongation, crypt depth, goblet cells, enterocytes and expression of ileal tight junction (TJ) proteins. The study found that HI larval meal significantly improved nutrient absorption in the jejunum and ileum (p < 0.001), thereby enhancing feed conversion. AST supplementation increased the number of enterocytes (p < 0.001). Both HI larval meal and AST positively affected intestinal morphology and function, increasing muscularis muscle mass and villi elongation (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). The 2.5% HI meal improved the villi length to crypt depth ratio and slightly increased the goblet cell count (both p < 0.05). Ki-67 antibody analysis showed increased cell proliferation in the duodenal and jejunal crypts, particularly with the 2.5% HI meal (p < 0.001). Insect meal did not affect TJ protein expression, indicating that it had no effect on intestinal permeability. These findings suggest that HI larval meal and AST can enhance the intestinal wellness and productivity of weaned piglets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kinga Szczepanik
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Balice, Poland
| | - Piotr Dobrowolski
- Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Świątkiewicz
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Balice, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mallott EK, Amato KR. Host specificity of the gut microbiome. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021; 19:639-653. [PMID: 34045709 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00562-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Developing general principles of host-microorganism interactions necessitates a robust understanding of the eco-evolutionary processes that structure microbiota. Phylosymbiosis, or patterns of microbiome composition that can be predicted by host phylogeny, is a unique framework for interrogating these processes. Identifying the contexts in which phylosymbiosis does and does not occur facilitates an evaluation of the relative importance of different ecological processes in shaping the microbial community. In this Review, we summarize the prevalence of phylosymbiosis across the animal kingdom on the basis of the current literature and explore the microbial community assembly processes and related host traits that contribute to phylosymbiosis. We find that phylosymbiosis is less prevalent in taxonomically richer microbiomes and hypothesize that this pattern is a result of increased stochasticity in the assembly of complex microbial communities. We also note that despite hosting rich microbiomes, mammals commonly exhibit phylosymbiosis. We hypothesize that this pattern is a result of a unique combination of mammalian traits, including viviparous birth, lactation and the co-evolution of haemochorial placentas and the eutherian immune system, which compound to ensure deterministic microbial community assembly. Examining both the individual and the combined importance of these traits in driving phylosymbiosis provides a new framework for research in this area moving forward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Mallott
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cabrera-Campos I, Carballo-Morales JD, Saldaña-Vázquez RA, Villalobos F, Ayala-Berdon J. Body mass explains digestive traits in small vespertilionid bats. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 191:427-438. [PMID: 33570665 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01348-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Bats are unique among mammals in that they have evolved the capacity to fly. This has generated strong selective pressure on the morphology and function of their digestive system. Given that in bats intestinal length and nominal surface-area are proportional to body mass, this trait importantly relates to explaining some of their digestive characteristics. We described the relationship between digestive traits and body mass of four species of bats of the family Vespertilionidae living in a montane ecosystem in central Mexico. We calculated food transit time, apparent dry matter digestibility, and defecation rate in feeding trials under captive conditions. We also: (1) built a model of the relationship between digestive traits and body mass to determine if this association was consistent within the members of the family Vespertilionidae, and (2) mapped these traits along the phylogeny to explore how digestive characteristics may have evolved. In our feeding trials, body mass was positively related to transit time and negatively related to apparent dry matter digestibility. The model predicted accurately the transit time in bats with body mass < 20 g. The phylogenetic approach suggested that over the evolutionary history of the family, transit time decreased as digestibility increased. Because of the results obtained here, it is likely that for most bats of the family Vespertilionidae, adaptations in digestive traits to process food have followed evolutionary changes in their body mass. We discuss these findings in a physiological and ecological context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iván Cabrera-Campos
- Maestría en Ciencias Biológicas, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Carretera Tlaxcala-Puebla Km. 1.5, C.P. 90062, Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Jorge D Carballo-Morales
- Laboratorio de Sistemática, Genética y Evolución (LabSGE), Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Romeo A Saldaña-Vázquez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente, Xabier Gorostiaga S.J. Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, Blvrd. del Niño Poblano 2901, Reserva Territorial Atlixcáyotl, C.P. 72810, San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Federico Villalobos
- Laboratorio de Sistemática, Genética y Evolución (LabSGE), Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Jorge Ayala-Berdon
- CONACYT, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Carretera Tlaxcala-Puebla Km. 1.5, C.P. 90062, Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Alpha-Ketoglutarate: An Effective Feed Supplement in Improving Bone Metabolism and Muscle Quality of Laying Hens: A Preliminary Study. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10122420. [PMID: 33348724 PMCID: PMC7767309 DOI: 10.3390/ani10122420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the experiment was to assess the effect of dietary alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) supplementation on performance, serum hormonal indices, duodenum and jejunum histomorphometry, meat quality characteristics, bone quality traits and cartilage degradation in laying hens with a mature skeletal system. Forty-eight 30 week-old Bovans Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to a control group or the group fed the basal diet plus 1.0% AKG. The experimental trial lasted 30 weeks. The supplementation of AKG increases blood serum content of leptin, ghrelin, bone alkaline phosphatate and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand, while osteoprotegerin and osteocalcin decrease. While dietary AKG was given to laying hens negatively influenced villus length, crypt depth, villus/crypt ratio and absorptive surface area in duodenum and jejunum, these changes have no effect on feed intake, weight gain, nor laying performance. In breast muscles, no significant changes in skeletal muscle fatty acid composition were observed, however, a higher shear force and decreased cholesterol content following AKG supplementation were noted, showing the improvement of muscle quality. While dietary AKG supplementation did not affect the general geometric and mechanical properties of the tibia, it increased collagen synthesis and enhanced immature collagen content. In medullary bone, an increase of bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, fractal dimension and decrease of trabecular space were observed in AKG supplemented group. The trabeculae in bone metaphysis were also significantly thicker after AKG supplementation. AKG promoted fibrillogenesis in articular cartilage, as indicated by increased cartilage oligomeric matrix protein immunoexpression. By improving the structure and maintaining the proper bone turnover rate of highly reactive and metabolically active medullar and trabecular bones AKG showed its anti-osteoporotic action in laying hens.
Collapse
|
6
|
Silva CHS, Amarante MSM, Cordero-Schmidt E, Vargas-Mena JC, Barros MAS, Sartori SSR, Morais DB. Comparative Study on the Small and Large Intestines of the Bats Artibeus planirostris and Diphylla ecaudata: Influence of Food Habits on Morphological Parameters. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2020.22.2.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos H. S. Silva
- Departament of Morphology, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Maria S. M. Amarante
- Departament of Morphology, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Eugenia Cordero-Schmidt
- Departament of Ecology, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Juan C. Vargas-Mena
- Departament of Ecology, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Marília A. S. Barros
- Departament of Zoology, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife-PE, 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Sirlene S. R. Sartori
- Departament of Animal Biology, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa-MG, 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Danielle B. Morais
- Departament of Morphology, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Moreno SA, Gelambi M, Biganzoli A, Molinari J. Small nutrient molecules in fruit fuel efficient digestion and mutualism with plants in frugivorous bats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19376. [PMID: 31852966 PMCID: PMC6920426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55915-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Frugivorous bats often possess short intestines, and digest rapidly. These characters are thought to be weight-saving adaptations for flight. The hypothesis that they limit digestive efficiency was tested by assaying glucose and protein in fecal samples of a free-ranging bat, and in fruit of its main food plant. To assure the correct calculation of digestive efficiencies, seeds were used as a mass marker for nutrients in fruit and feces. Glucose represents 32.86%, and protein 0.65%, of the nutrient content of fruit. Digestive efficiencies for these nutrients respectively are 92.46% and 84.44%, clearly negating the hypothesis for glucose. Few studies have quantified protein in fruit. Instead, "crude protein", a dietary parameter solely based on nitrogen determinations, is used as a surrogate of protein content. This study shows that, for fruit consumed by bats, crude protein estimates typically are much greater than true protein values, implying that a large fraction of the crude protein reported in previous studies consists of free amino acids. The rapid digestion of frugivores has the potential to limit protein digestion, thus it may require free amino acids for efficient assimilation of nitrogen; therefore, the crude protein approach is inadequate for the fruit that they consume because it does not differentiate free amino acids from protein. Adding simple sugars and free amino acids, instead of protein, to fruit reduce metabolic costs for plants. Direct assimilation of these small nutrient molecules increases digestive and foraging efficiencies. Both factors contribute to the persistence of the mutualism between plants and frugivores, with community-wide repercussions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Andrea Moreno
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 05101, Venezuela
| | - Mariana Gelambi
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 05101, Venezuela
| | - Alejandro Biganzoli
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 05101, Venezuela
| | - Jesús Molinari
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 05101, Venezuela.
| |
Collapse
|