Characterization of the microbiome and volatile compounds in anal gland secretions from domestic cats (Felis catus) using metagenomics and metabolomics.

ABSTRACT: Animals rely on volatile chemical compounds for their communication and behavior. Many of these compounds are sequestered in endocrine and exocrine glands and are synthesized by anaerobic microbes. While the volatile organic compound (VOC) or microbiome composition of glandular secretions has been investigated in several mammalian species, few have linked specific bacterial taxa to the production of volatiles or to specific microbial gene pathways. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing, mass-spectrometry based metabolomics, and culturing to profile the microbial and volatile chemical constituents of anal gland secretions in twenty-three domestic cats (Felis catus), in attempts to identify organisms potentially involved in host odor production. We found that the anal gland microbiome w

SUBMITTER: Rojas CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10197813 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature