October 17, 2024

Interpretive Summary: Multi-omics analysis reveals associations between host gene expression, gut microbiota, and metabolites in chickens

Interpretive Summary: Multi-omics analysis reveals associations between host gene expression, gut microbiota, and metabolites in chickens

By: Kai Shi, Xiangping Liu, Ying Duan, Jiqiang Ding, Yimin Jia, Ziqin Jiang, Chungang Feng

Egg-laying is a crucial and intricate trait in chickens. To comprehensively explore the egg-laying mechanism in chickens, we analyzed the host transcriptome, gut microbiota, and metabolome during the pre-laying, peak-laying, and late-laying periods. Transcriptome analysis of the tissues related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-liver (HPL) axis revealed the dynamic gene expression of hormone secretion and amino acid metabolism. Metagenome and metabolome analysis of cecal contents suggested that biosynthesis of amino acids and hormones was changed. Integrated analysis showed that the genus Megasphaera was correlated with several amino acids, and the genus Hungatella was associated with hormones. These results explored the dynamic changes in tissues related to the HPL axis and cecal microbiota and provided new insights into the interaction between the host and microbiota during egg-laying in chickens.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.