RESUMO
Understanding ruminal microbiota and diet-host breed interactions under forage feeding conditions is essential for optimizing rumen fermentation and improving feed efficiency in small ruminants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different ratios of condensed tannin (CT)-rich Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneate) in the diets on changes and interactions of ruminal microbiota and host species (i.e., sheep and goats). Katahdin sheep (n = 12) and Alpine goats (n = 12) at approximately 10 to 12 months of age were blocked by body weight (BW = 30.3 kg and 25.5 kg, respectively) and randomly assigned to one of the three treatments. Diets contained 75% coarsely ground forage and 25% concentrate. The forages were (1) 100% alfalfa hay (AL), (2) 100% Sericea lespedeza hay (SL), and (3) 50 % AL + 50% SL (ASL). In the present study, the diversity and composition of ruminal microbiota differed between sheep and goats fed similar diets. Based on the taxonomic analysis, there was a distinct clustering pattern (P < 0.05) for sheep by diets, but such a pattern was not observed for goats (P > 0.1). The most predominant phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Ascomycota, and methanogen species of Methanobrevibactor sp. in the rumen of sheep and goats, regardless of diets. The Bacteroidetes and Ascomycota were enriched in sheep fed AL and ASL. In contrast, these microbial phyla were enhanced in goats fed tannin-rich SL diets, with the diet by host species interaction (P < 0.02) for the Bacteroidetes phylum. Sheep rumen fluid samples showed a higher degree of variability in microbial community composition compared to goat rumen fluid samples. The relative proportion of the Aspergillus fungi population was reduced to 90.7% in the SL group compared with the AL group, regardless of host species. The antimicrobial activity of tannins and greater sensitivities of selected microbiota species to these tannin compounds during SL feeding in sheep and goats perhaps caused this difference. The results from this study suggest that differences in the microbiota were associated with differences in diets and host species. Therefore, this study provides a better understanding of ruminal microbiota and diet-host species interactions under various tannin-rich diets, which could advance consolidative information on rumen microbiome community diversity changes and may improve sheep and goat production.
RESUMO
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) affects gastrointestinal (GI) motility, favoring gastroparesis, constipation, and fecal incontinence, which are more prevalent in women. The mechanisms are unknown. Given the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor's (GPER) role in GI motility, we investigated sex-related diabetes-induced epigenetic changes in GPER. We assessed GPER mRNA and protein expression levels using qPCR and Western blot analyses, and quantified the changes in nuclear DNA methyltransferases and histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3Ac, and H3K27Ac) by ELISA kits. Targeted bisulfite and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to evaluate DNA methylation and histone modifications around the GPER promoter by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in gastric and colonic smooth muscle tissues of male and female control (CTR) and non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. GPER expression was downregulated in NOD, with sex-dependent variations. In the gastric smooth muscle, not in colonic smooth muscle, downregulation coincided with differences in methylation ratios between regions 1 and 2 of the GPER promoter of NOD. DNA methylation was higher in NOD male colonic smooth muscle than in NOD females. H3K4me3 and H3ac enrichment decreased in NOD gastric smooth muscle. H3K4me3 levels diminished in the colonic smooth muscle of NOD. H3K27ac levels were unaffected, but enrichment decreased in NOD male gastric smooth muscle; however, it increased in the NOD male colonic smooth muscle and decreased in the female NOD colonic smooth muscle. Male NOD colonic smooth muscle exhibited decreased H3K27ac levels, not female, whereas female NOD colonic smooth muscle demonstrated diminished enrichment of H3ac at the GPER promoter, contrary to male NOD. Sex-specific epigenetic mechanisms contribute to T1D-mediated suppression of GPER expression in the GI tract. These insights advance our understanding of T1D complications and suggest promising avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions.