Metabolomic Applications in Animal Science Volume 3

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 11416

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Interests: amino acids; imidazole dipepitdes; GC-MS based metabolomics; metabolomics in animal science; nutritional science for stress response; early nutrition
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metabolomics has been a useful method for various study fields. However, its application in animal science seems not enough. Metabolomics will be useful for various studies in animal science: Animal genetics and breeding, animal physiology, animal nutrition, animal products (milk, meat, eggs, and their byproducts) and their processing, livestock environment, animal biotechnology, animal behavior, and animal welfare. More application examples and protocols for animal science will promote more motivation to use metabolomics effectively in the study field. Our previous Special Issues (volume 1 and volume 2) could promote these to some extent. However, they still seem not enough.

Therefore, in this Special Issue, I invite research and review articles for “Metabolomic Applications in Animal Science”. Unlike before, the study fields are limited to animal physiology, animal nutrition, animal products and their processing, livestock environment, animal behavior, and animal welfare. The contribution to animal science should be clearly stated in the manuscript. The main methods used should be mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or other suitable techniques. Not only nontargeted but also targeted analysis of metabolites is welcome. The topics include dietary and pharmacological interventions, metabolic flux analysis, genetic manipulations, in vitro/in vivo imaging, and protocols for metabolomic experiments.

The Special Issue is open for submission now. Some extensions may be granted if you kindly let me know in advance. Accepted papers will be published rapidly and will be listed together on the Special Issue website.

Dr. Shozo Tomonaga
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6200 KiB  
Article
Screening of Candidate Bioactive Secondary Plant Metabolite Ion-Features from Moringa oleifera Accessions Associated with High and Low Enteric Methane Inhibition from Ruminants
by Addisu Endalew Zeru, Abubeker Hassen, Zeno Apostolides and Julius Tjelele
Metabolites 2022, 12(6), 501; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/metabo12060501 - 31 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1704
Abstract
This study evaluated the relationship of secondary bioactive plant metabolite ion-features (MIFs) of Moringa oleifera accessions with antimethanogenesis to identify potential MIFs that were responsible for high and low methane inhibition from ruminants. Plant extracts from 12 Moringa accessions were evaluated at a [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the relationship of secondary bioactive plant metabolite ion-features (MIFs) of Moringa oleifera accessions with antimethanogenesis to identify potential MIFs that were responsible for high and low methane inhibition from ruminants. Plant extracts from 12 Moringa accessions were evaluated at a 50 mg/kg DM feed for gas production and methane inhibition. Subsequently, the accessions were classified into low and high enteric methane inhibition groups. Four of twelve accessions (two the lowest and two the highest methane inhibitors), were used to characterize them in terms of MIFs. A total of 24 samples (12 from lower and 12 from higher methane inhibitors) were selected according to their methane inhibition potential, which ranged from 18% to 29%. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and untargeted metabolomics with univariate and multivariate statistical analysis with MetaboAnalyst were used in the study. Although 86 MIFs showed (p < 0.05) variation between higher and lower methane inhibition groups and lay within the detection ranges of the UPLC-MS column, only 14 were significant with the volcano plot. However, Bonferroni correction reduced the candidate MIFs to 10, and their R2-value with methane production ranged from 0.39 to 0.64. Eventually, MIFs 4.44_609.1462 and MIF 4.53_433.1112 were identified as bioactive MIFs associated with higher methane inhibition, whereas MIF 9.06_443.2317 and 15.00_487.2319 were associated with lower methane inhibition with no significant effect on in vitro organic matter digestibility of the feed. These MIFs could be used by plant breeders as potential markers to develop new M. oleifera varieties with high methane inhibition characteristics. However, further investigation on identifying the name, structure, and detailed biological activities of these bioactive metabolites needs to be carried out for future standardization, commercialization, and application as dietary methane mitigation additives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomic Applications in Animal Science Volume 3)
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16 pages, 1807 KiB  
Article
Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals the Effect of Selective Breeding on the Quality of Chicken Meat
by Kai Shi, Qian Zhao, Minghui Shao, Ying Duan, Dongfeng Li, Yangqing Lu, Yanfei Tang and Chungang Feng
Metabolites 2022, 12(5), 367; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/metabo12050367 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2564
Abstract
The selection for improved body weight is an effective approach in animal breeding. Guangxi Partridge chickens have differentiated into two lines under selective breeding, which include line S and line D that have shown statistically significant differences in body weight. However, the meat [...] Read more.
The selection for improved body weight is an effective approach in animal breeding. Guangxi Partridge chickens have differentiated into two lines under selective breeding, which include line S and line D that have shown statistically significant differences in body weight. However, the meat quality analysis in our study indicated that the quality of breast and thigh muscles in line S chickens changed, which included increased values of L*, b*, and drip loss and decreased a* value, pH, and shear force in skeletal muscles. To illuminate the effect of selection on skeletal muscles, LC-MS/MS metabolomics was performed to explore differentiated metabolites in divergent tissues from the two chicken lines. The results of principal component analysis and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis suggested that metabolites of different groups were separated, which suggested that selective breeding certainly affected metabolism of skeletal muscles. KEGG analysis identified that valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism noteworthily changed in breast muscle. Amino sugars and nucleotide sugar metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, fructose and mannose metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism were remarkedly identified in thigh muscle. These screened pathways suggested oxidative stress in breast and thigh muscles, which corresponded with our previous results. Therefore, this study determined that glycerophospholipid metabolism conservatively functioned in muscle flavor and development but exhibited different anti-oxidative patterns in different skeletal muscles. Overall, the present study identified several differentiated metabolites and pathways for exploring differences in meat quality between different broiler populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomic Applications in Animal Science Volume 3)
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16 pages, 18255 KiB  
Article
Production of Hydroxy Fatty Acids, Precursors of γ-Hexalactone, Contributes to the Characteristic Sweet Aroma of Beef
by Shuji Ueda, Mana Hosoda, Kumi Kasamatsu, Masahiro Horiuchi, Rio Nakabayashi, Bubwoong Kang, Masakazu Shinohara, Hiroki Nakanishi, Takayo Ohto-Nakanishi, Minoru Yamanoue and Yasuhito Shirai
Metabolites 2022, 12(4), 332; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/metabo12040332 - 06 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3619
Abstract
Aroma is an essential factor for meat quality. The meat of Japanese Black cattle exhibits fine marbling and a rich and sweet aroma with a characteristic lactone composition. The mechanism of lactone formation associated with beef aroma has not been elucidated. In this [...] Read more.
Aroma is an essential factor for meat quality. The meat of Japanese Black cattle exhibits fine marbling and a rich and sweet aroma with a characteristic lactone composition. The mechanism of lactone formation associated with beef aroma has not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the precursors of γ-hexalactone, an indicator of the sweet aroma of beef and identified the mechanism underlying γ-hexalactone production. A low-temperature vacuum system was used to prepare beef tallow from Japanese Black cattle and Holstein cattle. The odor components were identified using headspace–gas chromatography. The analysis revealed that γ-hexalactone, γ-dodecalactone, δ-tetradecalactone, and δ-hexadecalactone were present as sweet aroma components of beef tallow prepared from marbling and muscle. Since we previously reported that γ-hexalactone formation correlates with linoleic acid content in beef, we analyzed ten oxidized fatty acids derived from linoleic acid by liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and detected two hydroxy-octadecadienoic acids (9S-HODE and 13S-HODE) in beef tallow. Significant differences in arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase protein expression levels among subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat, and muscle tissue were observed. Our results suggest that the combination of linoleic acid and the expression of lipid oxidase derived from beef muscle and intramuscular fat produce hydroxy fatty acids that result in a sweet aroma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomic Applications in Animal Science Volume 3)
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21 pages, 2672 KiB  
Article
Maternal Nutrient Restriction Disrupts Gene Expression and Metabolites Associated with Urea Cycle, Steroid Synthesis, Glucose Homeostasis, and Glucuronidation in Fetal Calf Liver
by Susumu Muroya, Yi Zhang, Kounosuke Otomaru, Kazunaga Oshima, Ichiro Oshima, Mitsue Sano, Sanggun Roh, Koichi Ojima and Takafumi Gotoh
Metabolites 2022, 12(3), 203; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/metabo12030203 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2964
Abstract
This study aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of maternal undernutrition (MUN) on liver growth and metabolism in Japanese Black fetal calves (8.5 months in utero) using an approach that integrates metabolomics and transcriptomics. Dams were fed 60% (low-nutrition; LN) or [...] Read more.
This study aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of maternal undernutrition (MUN) on liver growth and metabolism in Japanese Black fetal calves (8.5 months in utero) using an approach that integrates metabolomics and transcriptomics. Dams were fed 60% (low-nutrition; LN) or 120% (high-nutrition; HN) of their overall nutritional requirements during gestation. We found that MUN markedly decreased the body and liver weights of the fetuses; metabolomic analysis revealed that aspartate, glycerol, alanine, gluconate 6-phosphate, and ophthalmate levels were decreased, whereas UDP-glucose, UDP-glucuronate, octanoate, and 2-hydroxybutyrate levels were decreased in the LN fetal liver (p ≤ 0.05). According to metabolite set enrichment analysis, the highly different metabolites were associated with metabolisms including the arginine and proline metabolism, nucleotide and sugar metabolism, propanoate metabolism, glutamate metabolism, porphyrin metabolism, and urea cycle. Transcriptomic and qPCR analyses revealed that MUN upregulated QRFPR and downregulated genes associated with the glucose homeostasis (G6PC, PCK1, DPP4), ketogenesis (HMGCS2), glucuronidation (UGT1A1, UGT1A6, UGT2A1), lipid metabolism (ANGPTL4, APOA5, FADS2), cholesterol and steroid homeostasis (FDPS, HSD11B1, HSD17B6), and urea cycle (CPS1, ASS1, ASL, ARG2). These metabolic pathways were extracted as relevant terms in subsequent gene ontology/pathway analyses. Collectively, these results indicate that the citrate cycle was maintained at the expense of activities of the energy metabolism, glucuronidation, steroid hormone homeostasis, and urea cycle in the liver of MUN fetuses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolomic Applications in Animal Science Volume 3)
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