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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #404750
Research Project: Optimizing Nutrient Management and Efficiency of Beef Cattle and Swine

Location: Nutrition, Growth and Physiology

Title: Effects of dietary restriction and one-carbon metabolite supplementation during early gestation on the maternal gut and vaginal microbiota in cattle

Author
item LUECKE, SARAH - North Dakota State University
item ARYEE, GODSON - North Dakota State University
item HOLMAN, DEVIN - Agri Food - Canada
item SCHMIDT, KAYCIE - North Dakota State University
item Crouse, Matthew
item WARD, ALISON - University Of Saskatchewan
item DAHLEN, CARL - North Dakota State University
item CATON, JOEL - North Dakota State University
item AMAT, SAMAT - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science Supplement
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2023
Publication Date: 11/6/2023
Citation: Luecke, S.M., Aryee, G., Holman, D.B., Schmidt, K.N., Crouse, M.S., Ward, A., Dahlen, C.R., Caton, J.S., Amat, S. 2023. Effects of dietary restriction and one-carbon metabolite supplementation during early gestation on the maternal gut and vaginal microbiota in cattle. Journal of Animal Science. 101(Supplement 3):534-535. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad281.628.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad281.628

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Maternal diet quality and quantity have significant impacts on both maternal and fetal health and development. The composition and function of the maternal gut microbiome is also significantly influenced by diet. However, little is known about the impact of gestational nutrient restriction on the maternal microbiome during early gestation, which is a critical stage for many developmental processes. Here, we evaluated the effects of dietary restriction and one-carbon metabolite (OCM) supplementation on ruminal and vaginal microbiota of beef heifers during early pregnancy. For this, 32 beef heifers (approximately 14-month-old) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with main factors including targeted gain (CON; 0.45 kg/d gain vs. RES; -0.23 kg/d gain), and OCM supplementation (OCM vs. noOCM) (n=8/treatment). OCM heifers received ruminal-protected methionine (20 g/day) and choline (60 g/day) daily via a fine-ground corn carrier with weekly intramuscular injections of folate (320 mg) and vitamin B12 (20 mg). The noOCM heifers received only corn carrier and saline injections. Heifers were individually fed and began treatment at breeding (d 0) and remained on treatment until d 63 of gestation. Ruminal fluid and vaginal swab samples were collected at d -2, d 35, and d 63 (at necropsy). Microbiota from samples were assessed using 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4) sequencing. Overall community structure of the ruminal microbiota was affected by gain (PERMANOVA: R2 = 0.04, P < 0.0001), OCM (R2 = 0.013, P = 0.03), time (R2 = 0.16, P < 0.0001) and by their interactions (R2 = 0.08, P = 0.004). The greatest difference in ruminal microbial community structure was between RES and CON heifers (R2 >/= 0.16, P 0.05). Community structure of RES was distinct from CON (R2 = 0.16, P = 0.032) on d 63, but microbial community richness and diversity were not influenced by OCM (P > 0.05). On d 63, RES heifers had increased Actinobacteriota (30.5% vs. 17.7%), but reduced Proteobacteriota (6.2% vs. 9.4%) and Fusobacteriota (0.02% vs. 0.94%; P < 0.05). In summary, restricted dietary intake during early gestation induced significant alterations in ruminal microbiota and its impact also extended to the vaginal microbiota. The composition of these two microbial communities remained largely unaffected by OCM supplement.