Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment
The presence and biological role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) have been explored in diverse microbial environments. Nonetheless, it has not been studied in the chicken gut microbiome. This study aims to investigate eDNA in the chicken cecum, analyzing cecal samples from broiler chickens using three p...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Poultry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2674-1164/4/1/14 |
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| author | Deborah Olubanjo Artur Zbikowski Bishnu Adhikari Tieshan Jiang Pallavi Singh Seong W. Kang Young Min Kwon |
| author_facet | Deborah Olubanjo Artur Zbikowski Bishnu Adhikari Tieshan Jiang Pallavi Singh Seong W. Kang Young Min Kwon |
| author_sort | Deborah Olubanjo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The presence and biological role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) have been explored in diverse microbial environments. Nonetheless, it has not been studied in the chicken gut microbiome. This study aims to investigate eDNA in the chicken cecum, analyzing cecal samples from broiler chickens using three preparation methods: Whole Cecal Suspension (WCS), Washed Cell Pellets (WCP), and Cell-Free Supernatant (CFS). The 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota analysis revealed distinct microbial communities in CFS compared to WCS and WCP (<i>p</i> = 0.001). Notably, specific taxa, including <i>Anaerofilum</i>, <i>Anaerotruncus</i>, <i>Oscillospira, Syntrophomonas,</i> and <i>Delftia</i>, were enriched in CFS. Confocal fluorescence microscopy, employing stains such as Propidium Iodide (PI), GelGreen, and SYTO 9, confirmed the presence of eDNA with filaments observed in WCS and CFS. Colocalization of PI and GelGreen™ validated the extracellular nature of eDNA, while DNase I treatment selectively degraded eDNA, further confirming its extracellular nature. Our findings in this study highlight the presence of eDNA in the chicken cecal microbiome, and the presence of eDNA associated with specific taxonomic groups suggest that it might play a specific role in the biological function of the cecal microbiome, which warrants further investigation in the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-93ad3009b04844f8bb419fd5d371d92e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2674-1164 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Poultry |
| spelling | doaj-art-93ad3009b04844f8bb419fd5d371d92e2025-08-20T03:43:14ZengMDPI AGPoultry2674-11642025-03-01411410.3390/poultry4010014Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal EnvironmentDeborah Olubanjo0Artur Zbikowski1Bishnu Adhikari2Tieshan Jiang3Pallavi Singh4Seong W. Kang5Young Min Kwon6Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USADepartment of Pathology & Veterinary Diagnostics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, PolandCenter of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USACenter of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USACenter of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USACenter of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USAThe presence and biological role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) have been explored in diverse microbial environments. Nonetheless, it has not been studied in the chicken gut microbiome. This study aims to investigate eDNA in the chicken cecum, analyzing cecal samples from broiler chickens using three preparation methods: Whole Cecal Suspension (WCS), Washed Cell Pellets (WCP), and Cell-Free Supernatant (CFS). The 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota analysis revealed distinct microbial communities in CFS compared to WCS and WCP (<i>p</i> = 0.001). Notably, specific taxa, including <i>Anaerofilum</i>, <i>Anaerotruncus</i>, <i>Oscillospira, Syntrophomonas,</i> and <i>Delftia</i>, were enriched in CFS. Confocal fluorescence microscopy, employing stains such as Propidium Iodide (PI), GelGreen, and SYTO 9, confirmed the presence of eDNA with filaments observed in WCS and CFS. Colocalization of PI and GelGreen™ validated the extracellular nature of eDNA, while DNase I treatment selectively degraded eDNA, further confirming its extracellular nature. Our findings in this study highlight the presence of eDNA in the chicken cecal microbiome, and the presence of eDNA associated with specific taxonomic groups suggest that it might play a specific role in the biological function of the cecal microbiome, which warrants further investigation in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2674-1164/4/1/14eDNAgut microbiomechickenceca16S rRNA geneconfocal fluorescence microscopy |
| spellingShingle | Deborah Olubanjo Artur Zbikowski Bishnu Adhikari Tieshan Jiang Pallavi Singh Seong W. Kang Young Min Kwon Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment Poultry eDNA gut microbiome chicken ceca 16S rRNA gene confocal fluorescence microscopy |
| title | Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment |
| title_full | Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment |
| title_fullStr | Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment |
| title_short | Extracellular DNA in the Chicken Cecal Environment |
| title_sort | extracellular dna in the chicken cecal environment |
| topic | eDNA gut microbiome chicken ceca 16S rRNA gene confocal fluorescence microscopy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2674-1164/4/1/14 |
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