Introduction: Chinese indigenous chicken breeds are widely used as food in China but their slow growth rate and long farming cycle has limited their industrial production.Methods: In the current study we examined whether the market weights of native chicken breeds were related to specific cecal bacteria, serum metabolites and inflammatory cytokines. We examined cecal bacterial taxa using 16S rDNA analysis along with untargeted serum metabolites and serum inflammatory cytokines.Results: We found that the cecal microbiota could explain 10.1% of the individual differences in chicken weights and identified key cecal bacterial genera that influenced this phenotype. The presence of Sphaerochaeta spp. improved growth performance via bovinic acid metabolism. In contrast, Synergistes and norank_f_Desulfovibrionaceae had a negative effect on growth by inducing expression of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6.Discussion: We were able to link specific bacterial genera with growth promotion in chickens and this study will allow further development of their use as probiotics in these animals.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in the physiological activities of the host and affects the formation of important economic traits in livestock farming. The effects of cecal microbiota on chicken weights were investigated using the Guizhou yellow chicken as a model. Experimental cohorts from chickens with high- (HC, n = 16) and low-market-weights (LC, n = 16) were collected. Microbial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and non-targeted serum metabolome data were integrated to explore the effect and metabolic mechanism of cecal microbiota on market weight. The genera Lachnoclostridium, Alistipes, Negativibacillus, Sellimonas, and Ruminococcus torques were enriched in the HC group, while Phascolarctobacterium was enriched in the LC group (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis determined that pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), luvangetin (2H-1-benzopyran-6-acrylic acid), and menadione (vitamin K3) were significantly higher in HC serum, while beclomethasone dipropionate (a glucocorticoid) and chlorophene (2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol) were present at higher levels in the LC group. The microbes enriched in HC were significantly positively correlated with metabolites, including pantothenic acid and menadione, and negatively correlated with beclomethasone dipropionate and chlorophene. These results indicated that specific cecal bacteria in Guizhou yellow chickens alter the host metabolism and growth performance. This study provides a reference for revealing the mechanism of cecal microbe actions that affect chicken body weight.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a key indicator of chicken meat quality and emerging studies have indicated that the gut microbiome plays a key role in animal fat deposition. However, the potential metabolic mechanism of gut microbiota affecting chicken IMF is still unclear. Fifty-one broiler chickens were collected to identify key cecal bacteria and serum metabolites related to chicken IMF and to explore possible metabolic mechanisms. The results showed that the IMF range of breast muscle of Guizhou local chicken was 1.65 to 4.59%. The complexity and stability of ecological network of cecal microbiota in low-IMF chickens were higher than those in high-IMF chickens. Cecal bacteria positively related to IMF were Alistipes, Synergistes and Subdoligranulum, and negatively related to IMF were Eubacterium_brachy_group, unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, unclassified_f_Coriobacteriaceae, GCA-900066575, Faecalicoccus, and so on. Bile acids, phosphatidylethanolamine (Pe) 32:1 and other metabolites were enriched in sera of high-IMF chickens versus low-IMF chickens while riboflavin was enriched in sera of low-IMF chickens. Correlation analysis indicated that specific bacteria including Alistipes promote deposition of IMF in chickens via bile acids while the Eubacterium_brachy group, and Coriobacteriaceae promoted formation of riboflavin, glufosinate, C10-dats (tentative), and cilastatin and were not conducive to the IMF deposition.

Background: The gut microbiome plays a key role in the formation of livestock and poultry traits via serum metabolites, and empirical evidence has indicated these traits are sex-linked.Methods: We examined 106 chickens (54 male chickens and 52 female chickens) and analyzed cecal content samples and serum samples by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and non-targeted metabolomics, respectively.Results: The cecal microbiome of female chickens was more stable and more complex than that of the male chickens. Lactobacillus and Family XIII UCG-001 were enriched in male chickens, while Eubacterium_nodatum_group, Blautia, unclassified_Anaerovoraceae, Romboutsia, Lachnoclostridium, and norank_Muribaculaceae were enriched in female chickens. Thirty-seven differential metabolites were identified in positive mode and 13 in negative mode, showing sex differences. Sphingomyelin metabolites possessed the strongest association with cecal microbes, while 11β-hydroxytestosterone showed a negative correlation with Blautia.Conclusion: These results support the role of sexual dimorphism of the cecal microbiome and metabolome and implicate specific gender factors associated with production performance in chickens.

Growth performance is an important economic trait of broilers but the related serum metabolomics remains unclear. In this study, we utilized non-targeted metabolomics using ultra-high-performance liquid phase tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) to establish metabolite profiling in the serum of Chinese Wumeng black-bone chickens. The biomarker metabolites in serum associated with growth performance of chickens were identified by comparing the serum metabolome differences between chickens that significantly differed in their weights at 160 days of age when fed identical diets. A total of 766 metabolites were identified including 13 differential metabolite classes such as lipids and lipid-like molecules, organic acids and their derivatives, and organoheterocyclic compounds. The results of difference analysis using a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model indicated that the low-body-weight group could be differentiated based on inflammatory markers including prostaglandin a2, kynurenic acid and fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFA), and inflammation-related metabolic pathways including tryptophan and arachidonic acid metabolism. In contrast, the sera of high-body-weight chickens were enriched for riboflavin and 2-isopropylmalic acid and for metabolic pathways including riboflavin metabolism, acetyl group transfer into mitochondria, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. These results provide new insights into the practical application of improving the growth performance of local chickens.

Reproductive traits are vital economic parameters in goat production, and boosting the reproductive capacity of breeding rams is crucial for enhancing the profitability of goat farming. Currently, research on the reproductive performance of Qianbei Ma goats mainly centers on investigating mechanisms associated with prolificacy and estrous ovulation in ewes, with limited emphasis on ram reproductive aspects. This study used scanning electron microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to profile the morphology of testis and the dynamic changes of Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and Testosterone (T) in serum at different developmental stages of Qianbei Ma goats. Meanwhile, transcriptome sequencing technology was used to investigate the mRNA expression patterns in testicular tissues at different developmental stages: newborn (0 M), puberty (6 M), sexual maturity (12 M), and physical maturity (18 M). The results showed that the diameter, circumference, and area of the testicular seminiferous tubules gradually increased with age. The levels of T and LH in serum significantly increased from 0 to 6 months after birth (p < 0.05), followed by a stabilization of T levels and a significant decrease in LH levels (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, FSH shows a decreasing trend between 0 and 18 months after birth. A total of 26,437 differentially expressed genes were identified in 6 comparison groups, which involve various biological processes such as immunity, growth, metabolism, development, and reproduction, and are significantly enriched in signaling pathways related to testicular development and spermatogenesis. WGCNA analysis identified 6 regions significantly associated with testicular development and spermatogenesis, and selected 320 genes for constructing a PPI network. Ten candidate genes related to testicular development and spermatogenesis were identified, including TP53, PLK4, RPS9, PFN4, ACTB, CYP17A1, GPX4, CLDN1, AMH and DHH. Of these, the CYP17A1 gene promotes interstitial cell proliferation, and promotes T synthesis. This study provides a theoretical basis and data support for promoting efficient breeding of goats and early breeding of excellent male goats.