Feed Restriction Modifies Intestinal Microbiota-Host Mucosal Networking in Chickens Divergent in Residual Feed Intake
Date
2019-01-29
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Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Abstract
Differences in chickens’ feed intake may be the underlying factor influencing
feed-efficiency (FE)-associated variation in intestinal microbiota and physiology.
In chickens eating the same amount of feed, quantitative feed restriction may
create similar intestinal conditions and help clarify this cause-and-effect relationship.
This study investigated the effect of ad libitum versus restrictive feeding (85% of ad
libitum) on ileal and cecal microbiota, concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, visceral
organ size, intestinal morphology, permeability, and expression of genes related
to nutrient uptake, barrier function, and innate immune response in broiler
chickens with divergent residual feed intake (RFI; metric for FE). On day 30 posthatch,
28 low-RFI (good FE) and 29 high-RFI (poor FE) chickens across both feedinglevel
groups (n 112) were selected. Supervised multigroup data integration and
relevance network analyses showed that especially Lactobacillus (negative) in ileal digesta,
Turicibacter (positive) in cecal digesta, and Enterobacteriaceae (positive) in
both intestinal segments depended on chicken’s feed intake, whereas the level of
Anaerotruncus in cecal digesta was most discriminative for high RFI. Moreover, shallower
crypts and fewer goblet cells in ceca indicated host-related energy-saving
mechanisms with low RFI, whereas greater tissue resistance suggested a stronger jejunal
barrier function in low-RFI chickens. Values corresponding to feed intake
level RFI interactions indicated larger pancreas and lower levels of ileal and cecal
short-chain fatty acids in restrictively fed high-RFI chickens than in the other 3
groups, suggesting host physiological adaptations to support greater energy and
nutrient needs of high-RFI chickens compensating for the restricted feeding.
IMPORTANCE The impact of the FE-associated differences in feed intake on intestinal
bacterial and host physiological parameters has so far not been clarified. Understanding
the underlying principles is essential for the development of cost-effective
strategies to improve FE in chicken production. Under conditions of quantitative
feed restriction, low- and high-RFI chickens ate the same amount of feed. Therefore,
this research helps in distinguishing intestinal bacterial taxa and functions that were
highly reliant on feed intake from those that were associated with physiological adaptations
to RFI-associated differences in host nutritional needs and intestinal nutrient
availability. This work provides a background for further research to assess manipulation
of the intestinal microbiota, host physiology, and FE in chickens by
dietary intervention.
Description
Publication history: Accepted online - 8 January 2019; Published online - 29 January 2019.
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Article
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Keywords
chicken, feed intake level, intestinal barrier function, intestinal microbiota, intestinal physiology, residual feed intake, visceral organs
Citation
Metzler-Zebeli, B. U., Siegerstetter, S.-C., Magowan, E., Lawlor, P. G., Petri, R. M., O´Connell, N. E. and Zebeli, Q. (2019) ‘Feed Restriction Modifies Intestinal Microbiota-Host Mucosal Networking in Chickens Divergent in Residual Feed Intake’, mSystems. Edited by V. Bucci. American Society for Microbiology, 4(1), pp. e00261-18. doi: 10.1128/msystems.00261-18.