Metagenomic analysis reveals shared and distinguishing features in horse and donkey gut microbiome and maternal resemblance of the microbiota in hybrid equids
{"title":"Metagenomic analysis reveals shared and distinguishing features in horse and donkey gut microbiome and maternal resemblance of the microbiota in hybrid equids","authors":"Yihang Zhou","doi":"arxiv-2407.05076","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Mammalian gut microbiomes are essential for host functions like digestion,\nimmunity, and nutrient utilization. This study examines the gut microbiome of\nhorses, donkeys, and their hybrids, mules and hinnies, to explore the role of\nmicrobiomes in hybrid vigor. We performed whole-genome sequencing on rectal\nmicrobiota from 18 equids, generating detailed microbiome assemblies. Our\nanalysis revealed significant differences between horse and donkey microbiomes,\nwith hybrids showing a pronounced maternal resemblance. Notably, Firmicutes\nwere more abundant in the horse-maternal group, while Fibrobacteres were richer\nin the donkey-maternal group, indicating distinct digestive processes.\nFunctional annotations indicated metabolic differences, such as protein\nsynthesis in horses and energy metabolism in donkeys. Machine learning\npredictions of probiotic species highlighted potential health benefits for each\nmaternal group. This study provides a high-resolution view of the equid gut\nmicrobiome, revealing significant taxonomic and metabolic differences\ninfluenced by maternal lineage, and offers insights into microbial\ncontributions to hybrid vigor.","PeriodicalId":501070,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - QuanBio - Genomics","volume":"368 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"arXiv - QuanBio - Genomics","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2407.05076","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Mammalian gut microbiomes are essential for host functions like digestion,
immunity, and nutrient utilization. This study examines the gut microbiome of
horses, donkeys, and their hybrids, mules and hinnies, to explore the role of
microbiomes in hybrid vigor. We performed whole-genome sequencing on rectal
microbiota from 18 equids, generating detailed microbiome assemblies. Our
analysis revealed significant differences between horse and donkey microbiomes,
with hybrids showing a pronounced maternal resemblance. Notably, Firmicutes
were more abundant in the horse-maternal group, while Fibrobacteres were richer
in the donkey-maternal group, indicating distinct digestive processes.
Functional annotations indicated metabolic differences, such as protein
synthesis in horses and energy metabolism in donkeys. Machine learning
predictions of probiotic species highlighted potential health benefits for each
maternal group. This study provides a high-resolution view of the equid gut
microbiome, revealing significant taxonomic and metabolic differences
influenced by maternal lineage, and offers insights into microbial
contributions to hybrid vigor.