ABSTRACT: Integrated metabolomic and transcriptome analyses reveal finishing forage affects metabolic pathways related to beef quality and animal welfare
Project description:This study was performed to determine the effects of dietary fat sources, i.e., beef tallow, soybean oil, olive oil and coconut oil (each 3% in feed), on the growth performance, meat quality and gene expression in growing-finishing pigs. The results of this study indicate that the type of dietary fat affects fatty acid composition and insulin signaling-related gene expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle of pigs. Effects of dietary fat types on meat quantity, meat quality and gene expression in pig.
Project description:This study was performed to determine the effects of dietary fat sources, i.e., beef tallow, soybean oil, olive oil and coconut oil (each 3% in feed), on the growth performance, meat quality and gene expression in growing-finishing pigs. The results of this study indicate that the type of dietary fat affects fatty acid composition and insulin signaling-related gene expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle of pigs.
Project description:Growing and finishing phases are two important animal production stages, which differ fundamentally in compositional growth. However, the physiological mechanisms altered concomitantly with the shift in whole-body compositional gain as cattle fatten (growing vs. finished steers), are poorly understood. Microarray analysis using the Bovine Gene 1.0 ST Array was conducted to determine shifts in hepatic genomic expression profiles of growing vs. finishing beef steers. The specific overall hypothesis tested was that genes involved in amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, antioxidant capacity and immune responses were differentially expressed in growing vs. finishing steers.
Project description:Animal nutrition considerably affects milk composition that influences its nutritional quality. Milk component synthesis and secretion by the mammary gland involve the expression of a large number of genes whose nutritional regulation remains poorly defined. In this study, 16 lactating goats received 4 experimental diets differing in either forage to concentrate ratio (high forage, HF, or low forage, LF) supplemented, or not, with lipids (whole rapeseeds, RS, or sunflower oil, SO) in a 4 x 4 Latin Square design. To investigate the pathways regulated by nutrition, we examined the effect of these diets on the expression of approximately 8400 genes in caprine mammary gland using a bovine oligonucleotide microarray.
Project description:Beef represents a major diet component and one of the major sources of protein in human. The beef industry in the United States is currently undergoing changes and is facing increased demands especially for natural grass-fed beef. The grass-fed beef obtained their nutrients directly from pastures, which contained limited assimilable energy but abundant amount of fiber. On the contrary, the grain-fed steers received a grain-based regime that served as an efficient source of high-digestible energy. Lately, ruminant animals have been accused to be a substantial contributor for the green house effect. Therefore, the concerns from environmentalism, animal welfare and public health have driven consumers to choose grass-fed beef. Rumen is one of the key workshops to digest forage constituting a critical step to supply enough nutrients for animals’ growth and production. We hypothesize that rumen may function differently in grass- and grain-fed regimes. The objective of this study was to find the differentially expressed genes in the ruminal wall of grass-fed and grain-fed steers, and then explore the potential biopathways. In this study, the RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) method was used to measure the gene expression level in the ruminal wall. The total number of reads per sample ranged from 24,697,373 to 36,714,704. The analysis detected 342 differentially expressed genes between ruminal wall samples of animals raised under different regimens. The Fisher’s exact test performed in the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software found 16 significant molecular networks. Additionally, 13 significantly enriched pathways were identified, most of which were related to cell development and biosynthesis. Our analysis demonstrated that most of the pathways enriched with the differentially expressed genes were related to cell development and biosynthesis. Our results provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms resulting in the phenotype difference between grass-fed and grain-fed cattle.
Project description:To identify transcriptional markers for beef traits related to meat tenderness and moisture, we measured the transcriptome of the Longissimus dorsi skeletal muscle in 10 Korean native cattle (KNC). We analyzed the correlation between the beef transcriptome and measurements of four different beef traits, shear force (SF), water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL), and loin eye area (LEA). We obtained non-overlapping and unique panels of genes showing strong correlations (|r| > 0.8) with SF, WHC, CL, and LEA, respectively. Functional studies of these genes indicated that SF was mainly related to energy metabolism, and LEA to rRNA processing. Interestingly, our data suggested that WHC is influenced by protein metabolism. Overall, the skeletal muscle transcriptome pointed to the importance of energy and protein metabolism in determining meat quality after the aging process. The panels of transcripts for beef traits may be useful for predicting meat tenderness and moisture. Experiment Overall Design: Gene expression profiles were correlated with beef traits measured at the same cattle.
Project description:Beef represents a major diet component and source of protein in many countries. With an increment demand for beef, the industry is currently undergoing changes towards natural produced beef. Consumers not only concern about product quality, but also for the well-being of animals. Therefore, the consumption of grass-fed meat is continuously growing. However, the nutritional true differences between feeding systems are still unclear. The aim of this study was to examine latissimus dorsi muscle quality and animal welfare by transcriptome and metabolome profiles, and to identify biological pathways related to the differences between grass- and grain-fed Angus steers. By RNA-Seq analysis of latissimus dorsi muscle, we have recognized 241 differentially expressed genes (FDR < 0.1). The metabolome examination of muscle and blood revealed 163 and 179 altered compounds in each tissue (P-value < 0.05), respectively. Accordingly, alterations in glucose metabolism, divergences in free fatty acids and carnitine conjugated lipid levels, and altered β-oxidation, have been observed. In summary, this study demonstrates a unique transcriptomic and metabolic signature in the muscle of grain and grass finished cattle. Results support the accumulation of anti-inflammatory n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in grass finished cattle, while higher levels of n6 PUFAs in grain finished animals may promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, grass-fed animals produce tender beef with lower total fat and higher omega3/omega6 ratio than grain fed animals, which could potentially benefit consumer health. Finally, blood cortisol levels strongly indicate that grass fed animals experience less stress than the grass fed individuals
Project description:Animal nutrition considerably affects milk composition that influences its nutritional quality. Milk component synthesis and secretion by the mammary gland involve the expression of a large number of genes whose nutritional regulation remains poorly defined. In this study, 16 lactating goats received 4 experimental diets differing in either forage to concentrate ratio (high forage, HF, or low forage, LF) supplemented, or not, with lipids (whole rapeseeds, RS, or sunflower oil, SO) in a 4 x 4 Latin Square design. To investigate the pathways regulated by nutrition, we examined the effect of these diets on the expression of approximately 8400 genes in caprine mammary gland using a bovine oligonucleotide microarray. Due to the limited quantity of mammary RNA available, equal amounts of total RNA sample from mammary gland of each goat belonging to the same Latin Square group were mixed together before labeling. Each mammary pooled sample (4 by dietary treatment) was then co-hybridized with a standard reference corresponding to a mixture of purified total RNA from several caprine tissues. Each hybridization was repeated in a dye-swap manner for a total of 32 slides (8 slides and 4 independent comparisons by dietary treatment).