Relative contributions of ruminal bacteria and protozoa to the degradation of protein in vitro.
Mixed ruminal microorganisms from a cow fed timothy hay and concentrate supplement (50:50) were incubated with various protein sources for 15 h (no carbohydrates or growth), and deamination was studied under enzyme-limiting substrate-excess conditions (n = 3). Addition of amphotericin (10 micrograms/ml) killed protozoa and decreased (P less than .05) ammonia production from killed bacteria but it had no effect (P greater than .05) on casein deamination. Monensin (5 micrograms/ml) also killed protozoa; however, it decreased (P less than .05) casein deamination to a much greater extent than amphotericin. Antibacterial antibiotics (penicillin G, polymixin B, cephalosporin C and streptomycin) greatly reduced (P less than .05) ammonia formation from casein. Isolated bacteria always produced more ammonia than isolated protozoa, but the difference was less with heat-treated, particulate proteins. Heated soybean protein was as soluble as heated casein but it was deaminated (P less than .05) at a faster rate by bacteria. Nonammonia-nonprotein N accumulation was greater (P less than .05) with the protozoa than bacteria. When incubations containing bacteria or protozoa were compared with combinations of protozoa and bacteria, the combinations always caused a synergistic increase in ammonia and decrease (P less than .05) in nonammonia-nonprotein N. These results suggest: soluble proteins were primarily degraded by bacteria; protozoa could contribute to the degradation of insoluble, particulate proteins; protozoa were limited in their ability to assimilate peptides (or amino acids); low molecular weight products could be fermented more readily by bacteria and monensin was toxic to protozoa, but decreases in ammonia were primarily due to action of monensin on bacteria.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000378:metabolism*; D004063:Digestion; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012417:Rumen / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology
D011506:Proteins