Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels
The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining the host’s metabolism and can influence the host’s productivity. Both dietary composition and gender have distinct effects on the composition of the gut microbiota. Therefore, to investigate the differences in the structure and function of the g...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Hu Liu Wenji Wang Weishi Peng Anmiao Chen Xiaogao Diao Xia Yang Jianmin Chai Yuanting Yang Ke Wang Jiancheng Han Hanlin Zhou |
| author_facet | Hu Liu Wenji Wang Weishi Peng Anmiao Chen Xiaogao Diao Xia Yang Jianmin Chai Yuanting Yang Ke Wang Jiancheng Han Hanlin Zhou |
| author_sort | Hu Liu |
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| description | The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining the host’s metabolism and can influence the host’s productivity. Both dietary composition and gender have distinct effects on the composition of the gut microbiota. Therefore, to investigate the differences in the structure and function of the gut microbiota between female and male goats, we analyzed their fecal microbiota and metabolites when fed a 10% crude protein diet at four different energy levels—7.01, 8.33, 9.66, and 10.98 MJ/kg DM. Four non-pregnant female and four male Leizhou goats (all 8 months of age) were used in the experiment, with an average body weight of 10.3 ± 0.8 kg for females and 13.6 ± 1.1 kg for males (mean ± SD). The animals were assigned to two separate 4 × 4 Latin square designs according to their gender, each consisting of four treatments and four 28-day periods, including 25 days of a dietary adaptation period and 3 days of fecal sample collection per period. The data were analyzed using the SAS statistical package and Pearson’s correlation analysis. The dominant phyla for all samples were Firmicutes and Bacteroidota, regardless of dietary energy levels or gender. Among fecal bacteria, <i>unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae</i> was the dominant genus in the female goats, and <i>Oscillospiraceae_UCG-005</i> was the dominant genus in the male goats. The relative abundance of <i>unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001), <i>Bacteroides</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.007), <i>norank_f_Ruminococcaceae</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.024), <i>Mediterraneibacter</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and <i>norank_f_Muribaculaceae</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.008) was greater in the female goats than in the male goats. In contrast, the relative abundance of <i>Oscillospiraceae</i>_UCG-005 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), <i>Ruminococcus</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.035), <i>Monoglobus</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.006), <i>Oscillospiraceae-NK4A214_group</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.008), <i>norank_f_F082</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and <i>Prevotellaceae_UCG-003</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001) was lower in the female goats than in the male goats. The volcano plot showed that there were 153, 171, 171, and 183 differential metabolites between the female and male goats at dietary energy levels of 7.01, 8.33, 9.66, and 10.98 MJ/kg DM, respectively. Numerous correlations were observed between differential metabolites and microflora genera. We concluded that the non-pregnant female and male goats exhibited distinct metabolic abilities when consuming a 10% crude protein diet at four different energy levels. Interestingly, in the female and male goats, the fecal microbiota also showed some differing responses to the energy levels. These results provide a gender-based reference for formulating low-protein dietary strategies for 8-month-old Leizhou goats. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-cbade14925c745c48de079d9f951b91d2025-08-20T04:00:54ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011515217410.3390/ani15152174Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy LevelsHu Liu0Wenji Wang1Weishi Peng2Anmiao Chen3Xiaogao Diao4Xia Yang5Jianmin Chai6Yuanting Yang7Ke Wang8Jiancheng Han9Hanlin Zhou10Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaDepartment of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, DK 8830 Tjele, DenmarkZhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaZhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaSanya Institute, China Agricultural University, Sanya 572024, ChinaEnvironment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, School of Animal Science and Technology, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, ChinaZhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaZhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaZhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaZhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, ChinaThe gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining the host’s metabolism and can influence the host’s productivity. Both dietary composition and gender have distinct effects on the composition of the gut microbiota. Therefore, to investigate the differences in the structure and function of the gut microbiota between female and male goats, we analyzed their fecal microbiota and metabolites when fed a 10% crude protein diet at four different energy levels—7.01, 8.33, 9.66, and 10.98 MJ/kg DM. Four non-pregnant female and four male Leizhou goats (all 8 months of age) were used in the experiment, with an average body weight of 10.3 ± 0.8 kg for females and 13.6 ± 1.1 kg for males (mean ± SD). The animals were assigned to two separate 4 × 4 Latin square designs according to their gender, each consisting of four treatments and four 28-day periods, including 25 days of a dietary adaptation period and 3 days of fecal sample collection per period. The data were analyzed using the SAS statistical package and Pearson’s correlation analysis. The dominant phyla for all samples were Firmicutes and Bacteroidota, regardless of dietary energy levels or gender. Among fecal bacteria, <i>unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae</i> was the dominant genus in the female goats, and <i>Oscillospiraceae_UCG-005</i> was the dominant genus in the male goats. The relative abundance of <i>unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001), <i>Bacteroides</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.007), <i>norank_f_Ruminococcaceae</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.024), <i>Mediterraneibacter</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and <i>norank_f_Muribaculaceae</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.008) was greater in the female goats than in the male goats. In contrast, the relative abundance of <i>Oscillospiraceae</i>_UCG-005 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), <i>Ruminococcus</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.035), <i>Monoglobus</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.006), <i>Oscillospiraceae-NK4A214_group</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.008), <i>norank_f_F082</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and <i>Prevotellaceae_UCG-003</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001) was lower in the female goats than in the male goats. The volcano plot showed that there were 153, 171, 171, and 183 differential metabolites between the female and male goats at dietary energy levels of 7.01, 8.33, 9.66, and 10.98 MJ/kg DM, respectively. Numerous correlations were observed between differential metabolites and microflora genera. We concluded that the non-pregnant female and male goats exhibited distinct metabolic abilities when consuming a 10% crude protein diet at four different energy levels. Interestingly, in the female and male goats, the fecal microbiota also showed some differing responses to the energy levels. These results provide a gender-based reference for formulating low-protein dietary strategies for 8-month-old Leizhou goats.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2174goatsgenderfecal microbiomelow-protein diet differ with energy levels |
| spellingShingle | Hu Liu Wenji Wang Weishi Peng Anmiao Chen Xiaogao Diao Xia Yang Jianmin Chai Yuanting Yang Ke Wang Jiancheng Han Hanlin Zhou Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels Animals goats gender fecal microbiome low-protein diet differ with energy levels |
| title | Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels |
| title_full | Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels |
| title_short | Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiota and Metabolomic Profiles in Male and Female Leizhou Goats Offered a 10% Crude Protein Diet Among Four Energy Levels |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of fecal microbiota and metabolomic profiles in male and female leizhou goats offered a 10 crude protein diet among four energy levels |
| topic | goats gender fecal microbiome low-protein diet differ with energy levels |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2174 |
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