A Study on How Methionine Restriction Decreases the Body's Hepatic and Lipid Deposition in Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus)

Transcriptomic profiling of backfat and muscle in Lijiang pigs with divergent body size across growth stages

Backfat thickness is an important economic trait that affects pork quality and flavor. The Lijiang pig (LJP), a local breed in Yunnan province, China, exhibits variations in growth and body composition. However, the molecular basis for these variations is unclear. This study aimed to analyze transcriptome profiles of backfat at different growth stages in LJP with discrepant body size: two months (M2), four months, and six months. Firstly, we analyzed the gene expression differences and discovered a significantly highest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the M2 stage. Secondly, we identified four gene profiles with reverse expression trends in LJP populations with different body sizes, and the related genes mainly associated with immune response functionality. Thirdly, we observed a lower correlation in LJP with large body size at the M2 stage, with a specific enrichment of DEGs with high genetic differentiation related to neural activity. Finally, we correlated transcriptome profiles of muscle and backfat and discovered the lowest correlation at the M2 stage. Highly correlated genes exhibited more significant differences and were prominently enriched for immune response processes. This study unveils candidate genes linked to backfat growth in LJP, emphasizing the specificity of the early growth stage of backfat.

Methionine-Mediated Regulation of Intestinal Lipid Transportation Induced by High-Fat Diet in Rice Field Eel (Monopterus Albus)

An eight-week feeding trial explored the mechanism that supplemented methionine (0 g/kg, 4 g/kg, 8 g/kg, and 12 g/kg) in a high-fat diet (120 g/kg fat) on intestinal lipid transportation and gut microbiota of M. Albus (initial weight 25.03 ± 0.13 g) based on the diet (60 g/kg fat), named as Con, HFD+M0, HFD+M4, HFD+M8, and HFD+M12, respectively. Compared with Con, gastric amylase, lipase, trypsin (P < 0.05), and intestinal lipase, amylase, trypsin, Na^+/K⁺ -Adenosinetriphosphatase, depth of gastric fovea, and the number of intestinal villus goblet cells of HFD+M0 were markedly declined (P < 0.05), while intestinal high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein of HFD+M0 were markedly enhanced (P < 0.05); compared with HFD+M0, gastric lipase, amylase, trypsin, and intestinal lipase, trypsin, Na⁺/K⁺ -Adenosinetriphosphatase, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein -A, the height of intestinal villus and the number of intestinal villus goblet cells of HFD+M8 were remarkably enhanced (P < 0.05). Compared with Con, intestinal occ, cl12, cl15, zo-1, zo-2 of HFD + M0 were markedly down-regulated (P <0.05), while intestinal vldlr, npc1l1, cd36, fatp1, fatp2, fatp6, fatp7, apo, apoa, apob, apof, apoo, mct1, mct2, mct4, mct7, mct12, lpl, mttp, moat2, dgat2 of HFD M0 were remarkably upregulated (P < 0.05); compared with HFD+M0, intestinal gcn2 and eif2α of HFD+M8 were remarkably downregulated (P < 0.05), intestinal occ, cl12, cl15, zo-1, zo-2, hdlbp, ldlrap, vldlr, cd36, fatp1, fatp2, fatp6, apo, apoa, apob, apof, apoo, mct1, mct2, mct8, mct12, lpl, mttp, moat2, and dgat2 were remarkably upregulated (P < 0.05). Compared with Con, the diversity of gut microbiota of HFD+M0 was significantly declined (P < 0.05), while the diversity of gut microbiota in HFD+M8 was significantly higher than that in HFD+M0 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a high-fat methionine deficiency diet destroyed the intestinal barrier, reduced the capacity of intestinal digestion and absorption, and disrupted the balance of gut microbiota; supplemented methionine promoted the digestion and absorption of lipids, and also improved the balance of gut microbiota.

Amino Acids in Health and Disease: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Special Issue "Amino Acid Metabolism and Regulation in Health and Disease 2 [...].

Comparative study on the effects of crystalline L-methionine and methionine hydroxy analogue calcium supplementations in the diet of juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of L-methionine and methionine hydroxy analogue calcium (MHA-Ca) supplements in low-fishmeal diet on growth performance, hepatopancreas morphology, protein metabolism, anti-oxidative capacity, and immunity of Pacific white shrimp (Litopena eus vannamei). Four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were designed: PC (203.3 g/kg fishmeal), NC (100 g/kg fishmeal), MET (100 g/kg fishmeal +3 g/kg L-methionine) and MHA-Ca (100 g/kg fishmeal +3 g/kg MHA-Ca). White shrimp (initial body weight 0.23 ± 0.00 g, 50 shrimp per tank) were allocated to 12 tanks and divided among 4 treatments in triplicates. In response to L-methionine and MHA-Ca supplementations, the shrimp exhibited higher weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), condition factor (CF), and lower hepatosomatic index (HSI) compared to those fed the NC diet (p < 0.05). The WGR and SGR of shrimp fed L-methionine and MHA-Ca showed no difference with those in the PC diet (p > 0.05). Both of L-methionine and MHA-Ca supplementary diets significantly decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of shrimp when compared with the NC diet (p < 0.05). L-methionine supplementation improved the lysozyme (LZM) activity and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of shrimp, while the MHA-Ca addition elevated the reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in comparison with those fed the NC diet (p < 0.05). Hypertrophied blister cells in hepatocytes were observed in shrimp fed the NC diet, and alleviated with L-methionine and MHA-Ca supplementations. Shrimp fed the MET and MHA-Ca diets had higher mRNA expression levels of target of rapamycin (tor) than those fed the NC diet (p < 0.05). Compared to the NC group, dietary MHA-Ca supplementation upregulated the expression level of cysteine dioxygenase (cdo) (p < 0.05), while L-methionine supplementation had no significant impact (p > 0.05). The expression levels of superoxide dismutase (sod) and glutathione peroxidase (gpx) were significantly upregulated by L-methionine supplemented diet in comparison with those in the NC group (p < 0.05). Overall, the addition of both L-methionine and MHA-Ca elevated the growth performance, facilitated protein synthesis, and ameliorated hepatopancreatic damage induced by plant-protein enriched diet in L. vannamei. L-methionine and MHA-Ca supplements enhanced anti-oxidants differently.

Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota and Lipidomics of Content Induced by Dietary Methionine Restriction in Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus)

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted using the rice field eel (Monopterus albus) with six isonitrogenous and isoenergetic experimental diets of basic feed supplemented with different levels of methionine (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 g/kg). This study built upon previous research findings that showed dietary methionine restriction (M0, 0 g/kg) inhibited hepatic fatty acid metabolism and intestinal fatty acid transportation, but both are improved by dietary supplementation with a suitable level of methionine (M8, 8 g/kg). Hence, M0 and M8 were selected to investigate how methionine regulates the gut microbiota and lipidomics of M. albus. Compared with M0, values for gut bacterial Sobs, Shannon, ACE, and Chao1 indices of M8 were remarkably increased (p < 0.05), with Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria the dominant phyla and Cetobacterium, Plesiomonas, and Bacillus the main genera in the community under the M0 vs. M8 treatments. However, compared with M0, the proportion of phyla consisting of Fusobacteria decreased in M8, as did the Cetobacterium and Lactococcus at the genus level; conversely, the proportions corresponding to Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Chioroflexi phyla increased in M8, as did the Clostridium and Streptococcus genera. Many edges appeared in the circus and networks, demonstrating the interspecies interactions among different operational taxonomic units (OTUs). In addition, various OTUs within the same phylum were clustered within one module. Cooperative interactions were predominant in the two networks, while competitive interactions were prevalent in their submodules. Gut microbiota mainly played roles in nutrition (lipid, amino acid, and carbohydrate) transport and metabolism under the M0 vs. M8 treatments. The PLS-DA scores indicated a significant difference in the main lipidomic components between the M0 and M8 treatment groups. Namely, the TG(26:0/16:0/17:0), TG(28:0/16:0/16:0), TG(26:0/16:0/16:0), and TG(30:0/16:0/16:0)-among others-comprising the gut content were reduced under the M8 treatment (p < 0.001). The genus Clostridium was positively correlated with TG(18:1/18:1/22:5), TG(16:0/17:0/18:1), TG(18:0/18:1/20:3), and other compounds, yet negatively correlated with TG(18:0/17:0/20:0), TG(16:0/17:0/24:0), and TG(16:0/16:0/24:0), among others as well. According to the lipidomics analysis, the predicted KEGG pathways mainly included lipid and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, and digestive, sensory, and immune systems. In conclusion, methionine restriction disturbed the microbial community balance and induced microbial dysfunctions, whereas methionine supplementation improved the homeostasis of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism of the rice eel.