Variations of Phosphorous Accessibility Causing Changes in Microbiome Functions in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Chickens

PLoS One. 2016 Oct 19;11(10):e0164735. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164735. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

The chicken gastrointestinal tract (GIT) harbours a complex microbial community, involved in several physiological processes such as host immunomodulation and feed digestion. For the first time, the present study analysed dietary effects on the protein inventory of the microbiome in crop and ceca of broilers. We performed quantitative label-free metaproteomics by using 1-D-gel electrophoresis coupled with LC-MS/MS to identify the structural and functional changes triggered by diets supplied with varying amount of mineral phosphorous (P) and microbial phytase (MP). Phylogenetic assessment based on label-free quantification (LFQ) values of the proteins identified Lactobacillaceae as the major family in the crop section regardless of the diet, whereas proteins belonging to the family Veillonellaceae increased with the P supplementation. Within the ceca section, proteins of Bacteroidaceae were more abundant in the P-supplied diets, whereas proteins of Eubacteriaceae decreased with the P-addition. Proteins of the Ruminococcaceae increased with the amount of MP while proteins of Lactobacillaceae were more abundant in the MP-lacking diets. Classification of the identified proteins indicated a thriving microbial community in the case of P and MP supplementation, and stressed microbial community when no P and MP were supplied. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD003805.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Feed / analysis
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Cecum / microbiology
  • Chickens / metabolism
  • Chickens / microbiology*
  • Diet
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / drug effects*
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / metabolism
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology*
  • Microbiota / drug effects*
  • Phosphorus / analysis
  • Phosphorus / pharmacology*
  • Plant Proteins / chemistry
  • Proteomics

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Phosphorus

Grants and funding

We would like to thank the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur des Landes Baden-Württemberg for funding of the projects METAPHOR and MICROP as well as the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung for funding. There are no grant numbers available. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.