Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs

Background: Microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract play a critical role in nutrient absorption, metabolism, and overall health of animals. Understanding the structure and function of tissue-specific microbial communities in Ningxiang pigs is essential for optimizing their growth, develo...

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Main Authors: Wangchang Li, Xianglin Zeng, Lu Wang, Lanmei Yin, Qiye Wang, Huansheng Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/7/936
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author Wangchang Li
Xianglin Zeng
Lu Wang
Lanmei Yin
Qiye Wang
Huansheng Yang
author_facet Wangchang Li
Xianglin Zeng
Lu Wang
Lanmei Yin
Qiye Wang
Huansheng Yang
author_sort Wangchang Li
collection DOAJ
description Background: Microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract play a critical role in nutrient absorption, metabolism, and overall health of animals. Understanding the structure and function of tissue-specific microbial communities in Ningxiang pigs is essential for optimizing their growth, development, and nutritional efficiency. However, the diversity and functional roles of microbiota in different nutrient absorption tissues remain underexplored. Methods: We collected samples from four key nutrient absorption tissues (NFC: Cecal Content, NFI: Ileal Content, NFL: Colonic Content, NFG: Gastric Content, N = 6) of Ningxiang pigs and performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze microbial community composition. Bioinformatics analyses included alpha and beta diversity assessments, linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) for biomarker identification, and PICRUSt2-based functional prediction. Comparative metabolic abundance analysis was conducted to explore functional differences among tissues. Results: Alpha diversity indices (ACE, Chao1, Simpson, and Shannon) revealed significant differences in microbial richness and evenness among the four tissues. At the phylum level, <i>Firmicutes</i> dominated the microbiota, while <i>Bacteroidota</i> was prominent in NFC and NFL. LEfSe analysis identified tissue-specific dominant microbial groups, such as f_<i>Prevotellaceae</i> in NFC, o_<i>Lactobacillales</i> in NFG, f_<i>Clostridiaceae</i> in NFI, and f_<i>Muribaculaceae</i> in NFL. Functional profiling using PICRUSt2 showed that the microbiota was primarily involved in organismal systems (e.g., aging, digestion), cellular processes (e.g., cell growth, transport), environmental information processing (e.g., signaling), genetic information processing (e.g., transcription, translation), and metabolic regulation (e.g., amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism). Comparative metabolic abundance analysis highlighted distinct functional profiles across tissues, with significant differences observed in pathways related to the immune system, energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, transcriptional and translational regulation, and aging. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that tissue-specific microbial communities in Ningxiang pigs exhibit distinct structural and functional characteristics, which are closely associated with nutrient absorption and metabolic regulation. These results provide valuable insights into the roles of microbiota in the growth and health of Ningxiang pigs and pave the way for future studies on microbe-mediated nutritional interventions.
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spelling doaj-art-108f2dd4fa564ae085c09ce345c96c0c2025-08-20T02:17:00ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-03-0115793610.3390/ani15070936Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang PigsWangchang Li0Xianglin Zeng1Lu Wang2Lanmei Yin3Qiye Wang4Huansheng Yang5Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, ChinaHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, ChinaHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, ChinaHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, ChinaHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, ChinaHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, ChinaBackground: Microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract play a critical role in nutrient absorption, metabolism, and overall health of animals. Understanding the structure and function of tissue-specific microbial communities in Ningxiang pigs is essential for optimizing their growth, development, and nutritional efficiency. However, the diversity and functional roles of microbiota in different nutrient absorption tissues remain underexplored. Methods: We collected samples from four key nutrient absorption tissues (NFC: Cecal Content, NFI: Ileal Content, NFL: Colonic Content, NFG: Gastric Content, N = 6) of Ningxiang pigs and performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze microbial community composition. Bioinformatics analyses included alpha and beta diversity assessments, linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) for biomarker identification, and PICRUSt2-based functional prediction. Comparative metabolic abundance analysis was conducted to explore functional differences among tissues. Results: Alpha diversity indices (ACE, Chao1, Simpson, and Shannon) revealed significant differences in microbial richness and evenness among the four tissues. At the phylum level, <i>Firmicutes</i> dominated the microbiota, while <i>Bacteroidota</i> was prominent in NFC and NFL. LEfSe analysis identified tissue-specific dominant microbial groups, such as f_<i>Prevotellaceae</i> in NFC, o_<i>Lactobacillales</i> in NFG, f_<i>Clostridiaceae</i> in NFI, and f_<i>Muribaculaceae</i> in NFL. Functional profiling using PICRUSt2 showed that the microbiota was primarily involved in organismal systems (e.g., aging, digestion), cellular processes (e.g., cell growth, transport), environmental information processing (e.g., signaling), genetic information processing (e.g., transcription, translation), and metabolic regulation (e.g., amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism). Comparative metabolic abundance analysis highlighted distinct functional profiles across tissues, with significant differences observed in pathways related to the immune system, energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, transcriptional and translational regulation, and aging. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that tissue-specific microbial communities in Ningxiang pigs exhibit distinct structural and functional characteristics, which are closely associated with nutrient absorption and metabolic regulation. These results provide valuable insights into the roles of microbiota in the growth and health of Ningxiang pigs and pave the way for future studies on microbe-mediated nutritional interventions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/7/936Ningxiang pig16s rRNAgutmicrobiome
spellingShingle Wangchang Li
Xianglin Zeng
Lu Wang
Lanmei Yin
Qiye Wang
Huansheng Yang
Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs
Animals
Ningxiang pig
16s rRNA
gut
microbiome
title Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs
title_full Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs
title_fullStr Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs
title_full_unstemmed Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs
title_short Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Diversity Across Different Digestive Tract Sites in Ningxiang Pigs
title_sort comparative analysis of gut microbiota diversity across different digestive tract sites in ningxiang pigs
topic Ningxiang pig
16s rRNA
gut
microbiome
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/7/936
work_keys_str_mv AT wangchangli comparativeanalysisofgutmicrobiotadiversityacrossdifferentdigestivetractsitesinningxiangpigs
AT xianglinzeng comparativeanalysisofgutmicrobiotadiversityacrossdifferentdigestivetractsitesinningxiangpigs
AT luwang comparativeanalysisofgutmicrobiotadiversityacrossdifferentdigestivetractsitesinningxiangpigs
AT lanmeiyin comparativeanalysisofgutmicrobiotadiversityacrossdifferentdigestivetractsitesinningxiangpigs
AT qiyewang comparativeanalysisofgutmicrobiotadiversityacrossdifferentdigestivetractsitesinningxiangpigs
AT huanshengyang comparativeanalysisofgutmicrobiotadiversityacrossdifferentdigestivetractsitesinningxiangpigs