Mineral Phosphorus Supply in Piglets Impacts the Microbial Composition and Phytate Utilization in the Large Intestine.

A sufficient supply of phosphorus (P) to pigs in livestock farming is based on the optimal use of plant-based phytate and mineral P supplements to ensure proper growth processes and bone stability. However, a high P supplementation might bear the risk of higher environmental burden due to the occurrence of excess P and phytate degradation products in manure. In this context, the intestinal microbiota is of central importance to increase P solubility, to employ non-mineral P by the enzymatic degradation of phytate, and to metabolize residual P. A feeding experiment was conducted in which piglets were fed diets with different P levels, resulting in three groups with low, medium (covering requirements), and high concentrations of available P. Samples from caecum and colon digesta were analysed for microbial composition and phytate breakdown to estimate the microbial contribution to metabolize P sources. In terms of identified operational taxonomic units (OTU), caecum and colon digesta under the three feeding schemes mainly overlap in their core microbiome. Nevertheless, different microbial families correlate with increased dietary P supply. Specifically, microbes of Desulfovibrionaceae, Pasteurellaceae, Anaerovoracaceae, and Methanobacteriaceae were found significantly differentially abundant in the large intestine across the dietary treatments. Moreover, members of the families Veillonellaceae, Selenomonadaceae, and Succinivibrionaceae might contribute to the observed phytate degradation in animals fed a low P diet. In this sense, the targeted manipulation of the intestinal microbiota by feeding measures offers possibilities for the optimization of intestinal phytate and P utilization.

Reduced phosphorus intake throughout gestation and lactation of sows is mitigated by transcriptional adaptations in kidney and intestine.

BACKGROUND: The environmental impact of pig farming need to be reduced, with phosphorus (P) being of particular interest. Specified dietary regimens and management systems contribute to meet environmental concerns and reduce economic constrains. However, pregnant and lactating sows represent vulnerable individuals, whose reproductive potential and metabolic health status relies on adequate supply of macro- and micronutrients. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether sows fed with a dietary P content that is below or above current recommendations are capable to maintain mineral homeostasis during the reproduction cycle and which endogenous mechanisms are retrieved therefore in kidney and jejunum. Nulliparous gilts were fed iso-energetic diets with recommended (M), reduced (L), or high (H) amounts of mineral P supplements throughout gestation and lactation periods. Blood metabolites and hormones referring to the P homeostasis were retrieved prior to term (110 days of gestation) and at weaning (28 days of lactation). Transcriptional responses in kidney cortex and jejunal mucosa were analyzed using RNA sequencing. RESULTS: The variable dietary P content neither led to an aberration on fertility traits such as total weaned piglets nor to an effect on the weight pattern throughout gestation and lactation. Serum parameters revealed a maintained P homeostasis as reflected by unaltered inorganic P and calcium levels in L and H fed groups. The serum calcitriol levels were increased in lactating L sows. The endocrine responses to the dietary challenge were reflected at the transcriptional level. L diets led to an increase in CYP27B1 expression in the kidney compared to the H group and to an altered gene expression associated with lipid metabolism in the kidney and immune response in the jejunum. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that current P requirements for gestating and lactating sows are sufficient and over supplementation of mineral P is not required. Shifts in renal and jejunal expression patterns between L and H groups indicate an affected intermediate metabolism, which long-term relevance needs to be further clarified.

Tissue-Wide Gene Expression Analysis of Sodium/Phosphate Co-Transporters in Pigs.

Sodium/phosphate co-transporters are considered to be important mediators of phosphorus (P) homeostasis. The expression of specific sodium/phosphate co-transporters is routinely used as an immediate response to dietary interventions in different species. However, a general understanding of their tissue-specificity is required to elucidate their particular contribution to P homeostasis. In this study, the tissue-wide gene expression status of all currently annotated sodium/phosphate co-transporters were investigated in two pig trials focusing on a standard commercial diet (trial 1) or divergent P-containing diets (trial 2). A wide range of tissues including the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon), kidney, liver, bone, muscle, lung, and aorta were analyzed. Both trials showed consistent patterns in the overall tissue-specific expression of P transporters. While SLC34A2 was considered as the most important intestinal P transporter in other species including humans, SLC34A3 appeared to be the most prominent intestinal P transporter in pigs. In addition, the P transporters of the SLC17 family showed basal expression in the pig intestine and might have a contribution to P homeostasis. The expression patterns observed in the distal colon provide evidence that the large intestine may also be relevant for intestinal P absorption. A low dietary P supply induced higher expressions of SLC20A1, SLC20A2, SLC34A1, and SLC34A3 in the kidney cortex. The results suggest that the expression of genes encoding transcellular P transporters is tissue-specific and responsive to dietary P supply, while underlying regulatory mechanisms require further analyses.

Community-Driven Data Analysis Training for Biology.

The primary problem with the explosion of biomedical datasets is not the data, not computational resources, and not the required storage space, but the general lack of trained and skilled researchers to manipulate and analyze these data. Eliminating this problem requires development of comprehensive educational resources. Here we present a community-driven framework that enables modern, interactive teaching of data analytics in life sciences and facilitates the development of training materials. The key feature of our system is that it is not a static but a continuously improved collection of tutorials. By coupling tutorials with a web-based analysis framework, biomedical researchers can learn by performing computation themselves through a web browser without the need to install software or search for example datasets. Our ultimate goal is to expand the breadth of training materials to include fundamental statistical and data science topics and to precipitate a complete re-engineering of undergraduate and graduate curricula in life sciences. This project is accessible at https://training.galaxyproject.org.