Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis
Despite limited understanding of gut fungal roles in fat deposition among indigenous pig breeds, a comparative study between high-fat-accumulating Ningxiang (NX) pigs and lean-type Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pigs reveals a fungal-driven regulatory mechanism. NX pigs exhibited significantly h...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Pengfei Huang Hanmin Wang Juan Wang Zhenrong Qiu Chunfeng Wang Han Liu Qiye Wang Yali Li Huansheng Yang |
| author_facet | Pengfei Huang Hanmin Wang Juan Wang Zhenrong Qiu Chunfeng Wang Han Liu Qiye Wang Yali Li Huansheng Yang |
| author_sort | Pengfei Huang |
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| description | Despite limited understanding of gut fungal roles in fat deposition among indigenous pig breeds, a comparative study between high-fat-accumulating Ningxiang (NX) pigs and lean-type Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pigs reveals a fungal-driven regulatory mechanism. NX pigs exhibited significantly higher fat percentage, elevated serum glucose, and markedly reduced total colonic short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) compared to DLY pigs (all <i>p</i> < 0.001), with butyrate showing the most pronounced decrease. Beta-diversity confirmed distinct fungal communities (<i>p</i> = 0.002), where NX pigs were enriched with <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i>, while DLY pigs harbored dominant <i>Rhodotorula</i>. Strong correlations were observed: NX-enriched fungi positively correlated with glucose and negatively with SCFAs, whereas <i>Rhodotorula</i> strongly associated with SCFAs (<i>p</i> < 0.001). FUNGuild analysis linked <i>Aspergillus</i>/<i>Penicillium</i> to enhanced polysaccharide degradation and glucose bioavailability. The findings propose a gut fungal-mediated “Glucose–SCFAs axis”: NX-enriched fungi elevate glucose (promoting lipogenesis) and suppress SCFAs (reducing butyrate-mediated adipocyte inhibition), whereas <i>Rhodotorula</i> in DLY pigs enhances SCFAs-induced lipolysis. Crucially, we demonstrate that fungal modulation primarily drives fat deposition differences between breeds, offering novel probiotics/antifungal strategies for precision swine breeding. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-363539f982ae4308bee504d5ae91de362025-08-20T03:28:32ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-06-011513188710.3390/ani15131887Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic AxisPengfei Huang0Hanmin Wang1Juan Wang2Zhenrong Qiu3Chunfeng Wang4Han Liu5Qiye Wang6Yali Li7Huansheng Yang8College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410114, ChinaDespite limited understanding of gut fungal roles in fat deposition among indigenous pig breeds, a comparative study between high-fat-accumulating Ningxiang (NX) pigs and lean-type Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pigs reveals a fungal-driven regulatory mechanism. NX pigs exhibited significantly higher fat percentage, elevated serum glucose, and markedly reduced total colonic short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) compared to DLY pigs (all <i>p</i> < 0.001), with butyrate showing the most pronounced decrease. Beta-diversity confirmed distinct fungal communities (<i>p</i> = 0.002), where NX pigs were enriched with <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Penicillium</i>, while DLY pigs harbored dominant <i>Rhodotorula</i>. Strong correlations were observed: NX-enriched fungi positively correlated with glucose and negatively with SCFAs, whereas <i>Rhodotorula</i> strongly associated with SCFAs (<i>p</i> < 0.001). FUNGuild analysis linked <i>Aspergillus</i>/<i>Penicillium</i> to enhanced polysaccharide degradation and glucose bioavailability. The findings propose a gut fungal-mediated “Glucose–SCFAs axis”: NX-enriched fungi elevate glucose (promoting lipogenesis) and suppress SCFAs (reducing butyrate-mediated adipocyte inhibition), whereas <i>Rhodotorula</i> in DLY pigs enhances SCFAs-induced lipolysis. Crucially, we demonstrate that fungal modulation primarily drives fat deposition differences between breeds, offering novel probiotics/antifungal strategies for precision swine breeding.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1887NX pigfat depositionglucoseSCFAsgut fungal community |
| spellingShingle | Pengfei Huang Hanmin Wang Juan Wang Zhenrong Qiu Chunfeng Wang Han Liu Qiye Wang Yali Li Huansheng Yang Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis Animals NX pig fat deposition glucose SCFAs gut fungal community |
| title | Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis |
| title_full | Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis |
| title_fullStr | Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis |
| title_short | Gut Fungal Community Modulates Fat Deposition in Ningxiang Pigs: Species-Specific Regulation via the Glucose–SCFAs Metabolic Axis |
| title_sort | gut fungal community modulates fat deposition in ningxiang pigs species specific regulation via the glucose scfas metabolic axis |
| topic | NX pig fat deposition glucose SCFAs gut fungal community |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1887 |
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