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Faleiros CA, Nunes AT, Gonçalves OS, Alexandre PA, Poleti MD, Mattos EC, Perna-Junior F, Rodrigues PHM, Fukumasu H. Exploration of mobile genetic elements in the ruminal microbiome of Nellore cattle. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13056. [PMID: 38844487 PMCID: PMC11156634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63951-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metagenomics has made it feasible to elucidate the intricacies of the ruminal microbiome and its role in the differentiation of animal production phenotypes of significance. The search for mobile genetic elements (MGEs) has taken on great importance, as they play a critical role in the transfer of genetic material between organisms. Furthermore, these elements serve a dual purpose by controlling populations through lytic bacteriophages, thereby maintaining ecological equilibrium and driving the evolutionary progress of host microorganisms. In this study, we aimed to identify the association between ruminal bacteria and their MGEs in Nellore cattle using physical chromosomal links through the Hi-C method. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing and the proximity ligation method ProxiMeta were used to analyze DNA, getting 1,713,111,307 bp, which gave rise to 107 metagenome-assembled genomes from rumen samples of four Nellore cows maintained on pasture. Taxonomic analysis revealed that most of the bacterial genomes belonged to the families Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Saccharofermentanaceae, and Treponemataceae and mostly encoded pathways for central carbon and other carbohydrate metabolisms. A total of 31 associations between host bacteria and MGE were identified, including 17 links to viruses and 14 links to plasmids. Additionally, we found 12 antibiotic resistance genes. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Brazilian cattle that connect MGEs with their microbial hosts. It identifies MGEs present in the rumen of pasture-raised Nellore cattle, offering insights that could advance biotechnology for food digestion and improve ruminant performance in production systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila A Faleiros
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil
| | - Alanne T Nunes
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil
| | - Osiel S Gonçalves
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biotechnology Applied to Agriculture (BIOAGRO), Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil
| | - Pâmela A Alexandre
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Agriculture and Food, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mirele D Poleti
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil
| | - Elisângela C Mattos
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil
| | - Flavio Perna-Junior
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo (FMVZ-USP), Pirassununga, São Paulo, 13635-900, Brazil
| | - Paulo H Mazza Rodrigues
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo (FMVZ-USP), Pirassununga, São Paulo, 13635-900, Brazil
| | - Heidge Fukumasu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil.
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Yan M, Yu Z. Viruses contribute to microbial diversification in the rumen ecosystem and are associated with certain animal production traits. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:82. [PMID: 38725064 PMCID: PMC11080232 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01791-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The rumen microbiome enables ruminants to digest otherwise indigestible feedstuffs, thereby facilitating the production of high-quality protein, albeit with suboptimal efficiency and producing methane. Despite extensive research delineating associations between the rumen microbiome and ruminant production traits, the functional roles of the pervasive and diverse rumen virome remain to be determined. RESULTS Leveraging a recent comprehensive rumen virome database, this study analyzes virus-microbe linkages, at both species and strain levels, across 551 rumen metagenomes, elucidating patterns of microbial and viral diversity, co-occurrence, and virus-microbe interactions. Additionally, this study assesses the potential role of rumen viruses in microbial diversification by analyzing prophages found in rumen metagenome-assembled genomes. Employing CRISPR-Cas spacer-based matching and virus-microbe co-occurrence network analysis, this study suggests that the viruses in the rumen may regulate microbes at strain and community levels through both antagonistic and mutualistic interactions. Moreover, this study establishes that the rumen virome demonstrates responsiveness to dietary shifts and associations with key animal production traits, including feed efficiency, lactation performance, weight gain, and methane emissions. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide a substantive framework for further investigations to unravel the functional roles of the virome in the rumen in shaping the microbiome and influencing overall animal production performance. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yan
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zhongtang Yu
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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Wu Y, Gao N, Sun C, Feng T, Liu Q, Chen WH. A compendium of ruminant gastrointestinal phage genomes revealed a higher proportion of lytic phages than in any other environments. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:69. [PMID: 38576042 PMCID: PMC10993611 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01784-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ruminants are important livestock animals that have a unique digestive system comprising multiple stomach compartments. Despite significant progress in the study of microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) sites of ruminants, we still lack an understanding of the viral community of ruminants. Here, we surveyed its viral ecology using 2333 samples from 10 sites along the GIT of 8 ruminant species. RESULTS We present the Unified Ruminant Phage Catalogue (URPC), a comprehensive survey of phages in the GITs of ruminants including 64,922 non-redundant phage genomes. We characterized the distributions of the phage genomes in different ruminants and GIT sites and found that most phages were organism-specific. We revealed that ~ 60% of the ruminant phages were lytic, which was the highest as compared with those in all other environments and certainly will facilitate their applications in microbial interventions. To further facilitate the future applications of the phages, we also constructed a comprehensive virus-bacteria/archaea interaction network and identified dozens of phages that may have lytic effects on methanogenic archaea. CONCLUSIONS The URPC dataset represents a useful resource for future microbial interventions to improve ruminant production and ecological environmental qualities. Phages have great potential for controlling pathogenic bacterial/archaeal species and reducing methane emissions. Our findings provide insights into the virome ecology research of the ruminant GIT and offer a starting point for future research on phage therapy in ruminants. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-Imaging, Center for Artificial Biology, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Na Gao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Chuqing Sun
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-Imaging, Center for Artificial Biology, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Tong Feng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-Imaging, Center for Artificial Biology, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Qingyou Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, 528225, China.
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530005, China.
| | - Wei-Hua Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-Imaging, Center for Artificial Biology, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
- Institution of Medical Artificial Intelligence, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China.
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Sato Y, Takebe H, Tominaga K, Yasuda J, Kumagai H, Hirooka H, Yoshida T. A rumen virosphere with implications of contribution to fermentation and methane production, and endemism in cattle breeds and individuals. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0158123. [PMID: 38112444 PMCID: PMC10807420 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01581-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses have a potential to modify the ruminal digestion via infection and cell lysis of prokaryotes, suggesting that viruses are related to animal performance and methane production. This study aimed to elucidate the genome-based diversity of rumen viral communities and the differences in virus structure between individuals and cattle breeds and to understand how viruses influence on the rumen. To these ends, a metagenomic sequencing of virus-like particles in the rumen of 22 Japanese cattle, including Japanese Black (JB, n = 8), Japanese Shorthorn (n = 2), and Japanese Black sires × Holstein dams crossbred steers (F1, n = 12) was conducted. Additionally, the rumen viromes of six JB and six F1 that were fed identical diets and kept in a single barn were compared. A total of 8,232 non-redundant viral genomes (≥5-kb length and ≥50% completeness), including 982 complete genomes, were constructed, and rumen virome exhibited lysogenic signatures. Furthermore, putative hosts of 1,223 viral genomes were predicted using tRNA and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-spacer matching. The genomes included 1 and 10 putative novel complete genomes associated with Fibrobacter and Ruminococcus, respectively, which are the main rumen cellulose-degrading bacteria. Additionally, the hosts of 22 viral genomes, including 2 complete genomes, were predicted as methanogens, such as Methanobrevibacter and Methanomethylophilus. Most rumen viruses were highly rumen and individual specific and related to rumen-specific prokaryotes. Furthermore, the rumen viral community structure was significantly different between JB and F1 steers, indicating that cattle breed is one of the factors influencing the rumen virome composition.IMPORTANCEHere, we investigated the individual and breed differences of the rumen viral community in Japanese cattle. In the process, we reconstructed putative novel complete viral genomes related to rumen fiber-degrading bacteria and methanogen. The finding strongly suggests that rumen viruses contribute to cellulose and hemicellulose digestion and methanogenesis. Notably, this study also found that rumen viruses are highly rumen and individual specific, suggesting that rumen viruses may not be transmitted through environmental exposure. More importantly, we revealed differences of viral communities between JB and F1 cattle, indicating that cattle breed is a factor that influences the establishment of rumen virome. These results suggest the possibility of rumen virus transmission from mother to offspring and its potential to influence beef production traits. These rumen viral genomes and findings provide new insights into the characterizations of the rumen viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiaki Sato
- Department of Agrobiology and Bioresources, School of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Takebe
- Laboratory of Marine Microbiology, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kento Tominaga
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Jumpei Yasuda
- Iwate Agricultural Research Center Animal Industry Research Institute, Iwate, Japan
| | - Hajime Kumagai
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry Resources, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Hirooka
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry Resources, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takashi Yoshida
- Laboratory of Marine Microbiology, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Yan M, Pratama AA, Somasundaram S, Li Z, Jiang Y, Sullivan MB, Yu Z. Interrogating the viral dark matter of the rumen ecosystem with a global virome database. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5254. [PMID: 37644066 PMCID: PMC10465536 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41075-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The diverse rumen virome can modulate the rumen microbiome, but it remains largely unexplored. Here, we mine 975 published rumen metagenomes for viral sequences, create a global rumen virome database (RVD), and analyze the rumen virome for diversity, virus-host linkages, and potential roles in affecting rumen functions. Containing 397,180 species-level viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs), RVD substantially increases the detection rate of rumen viruses from metagenomes compared with IMG/VR V3. Most of the classified vOTUs belong to Caudovirales, differing from those found in the human gut. The rumen virome is predicted to infect the core rumen microbiome, including fiber degraders and methanogens, carries diverse auxiliary metabolic genes, and thus likely impacts the rumen ecosystem in both a top-down and a bottom-up manner. RVD and the findings provide useful resources and a baseline framework for future research to investigate how viruses may impact the rumen ecosystem and digestive physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yan
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Akbar Adjie Pratama
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sripoorna Somasundaram
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zongjun Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Yu Jiang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Matthew B Sullivan
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zhongtang Yu
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Center of Microbiome Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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Abstract
The rumen ecosystem is a complex and dynamic environment, which hosts microorganisms including archaea, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses. These microorganisms interact with each other, altering the ruminal environment and substrates that will be available for the host digestion and metabolism. Viruses can infect the host and other microorganisms, which can drive changes in microorganisms' lysis rate, substrate availability, nutrient recycling, and population structure. The lysis of ruminal microorganisms' cells by viruses can release enzymes that enhance feedstuff fermentation, which may increase dietary nutrient utilization and feed efficiency. However, negative effects associated to viruses in the gastrointestinal tract have also been reported, in some cases, disrupting the dynamic stability of the ruminal microbiome, which can result in gastrointestinal dysfunctions. Therefore, the objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on ruminal virome, their interaction with other components of the microbiome and the effects on animal nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonio P. Faciola
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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