Comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome and host transcriptome in chickens after Eimeria tenella infection

Hailiang Yu; Qi Wang; Jianqiang Tang; Liyue Dong; Guojun Dai; Tao Zhang; Genxi Zhang; Kaizhou Xie; Hongsheng Wang; Zhenhua Zhao

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2023.1191939

Comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome and host transcriptome in chickens after Eimeria tenella infection

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Jun 6:13:1191939. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1191939. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
² Technical Research Department, Jiangsu Jinghai Poultry Group Co., Ltd., Haimen, China.
³ Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yangzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: Coccidiosis is an intestinal parasitic disease caused by Eimeria protozoa, which endangers the health and growth of animals, and causes huge economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide every year. Studies have shown that poultry gut microbiota plays an important role in preventing the colonization of pathogens and maintaining the health of the host. Coccidia infection also affects host gene expression. However, the underlying potential relationship between gut microbiome and host transcriptome during E. tenella infection in chickens remain unclear.

Methods: In this study, metagenomic and transcriptome sequencing were applied to identify microbiota and genes in cecal contents and cecal tissues of infected (JS) and control (JC) chickens on day 4.5 postinfection (pi), respectively.

Results: First, microbial sequencing results of cecal contents showed that the abundance of Lactobacillus, Roseburia sp. and Faecalibacterium sp decreased significantly after E. tenella infection (P < 0.05), while the abundance of Alistipes and Prevotella pectinovora increased significantly (P < 0.05). Second, transcriptome sequencing results showed that a total of 434 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified, including 196 up-regulated and 238 down-regulated genes. These differentially expressed genes related to inflammation and immunity, such as GAMA, FABP1, F2RL1 and RSAD2, may play an important role in the process of host resistance to coccidia infection. Functional studies showed that the enriched pathways of differentially expressed genes included the TGF-beta signaling pathway and the ErbB signaling pathways. Finally, the integrated analysis of gut microbiome and host transcriptome suggested that Prevotella pectinovora associated with FABP1, Butyricicoccus porcorum and Colidextribacter sp. associated with RSAD2 were involved in the immune response upon E. tenella infection.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study provides valuable information on the microbiota and key immune genes after chicken E. tenella infection, with the aim of providing reference for the impact of coccidia infection on cecal microbiome and host.

Keywords: E. tenella; cecal microbiome; chicken; integrated analysis; transcriptome.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Chickens / genetics
Eimeria tenella* / genetics
Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / genetics
Poultry Diseases* / genetics
Transcriptome

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Jiangsu Agricultural Industry Technology System (JATS[2023]490), the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX22_3528, Yangzhou University), the Yangzhou University International Academic Exchange Foundation, the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), and the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-41-G23).