title: Relationship between the microbiota in different sections of the gastrointestinal tract, and the body weight of broiler chickens.
abstract: In the poultry industry, many efforts have been undertaken to further improve the growth performance of broilers and identification and modulation of body weight (BW)-related bacteria could be one of the strategies to improve productivity. However, studies regarding the relationship between microbiota and BW are scarce. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between microbiota and BW in different sections of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). A total of twenty 18-day-old birds were selected based on the BW, and samples were collected from the three different sections of the GIT, which included the crop, ileum and cecum. Bacterial genomic DNA was extracted from the samples, and the V4 region of 16S rRNA gene were amplified. Amplicons were sequenced on Illumina MiSeq, and microbial communities were analyzed by using QIIME. In principal coordinate analysis, bacterial communities were clustered into three groups, based on the sections of GIT. Several BW-related bacterial groups were identified from linear regression analysis. At the genus level, Streptococcus from the ileum as well as Akkermansia in both ileum and cecum, were negatively related to BW, whereas Bifidobacterium in the ileum and Lactococcus in the cecum showed a positive correlation. The results from the present study showed that particular bacterial communities in the GIT were related to BW, and the study has broadened the understanding of the intestinal microbial ecosystem in broiler chickens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Geon Goo
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Life Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Republic of Korea.|Division of Applied Animal Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Bae
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jinyoung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Yeong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Life Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gwideuk
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Life System, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jongbin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Institute of Green-Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chul-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Life Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ill-Kyong
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Yong
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kil
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun-Jaie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Changsu
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3876-6488
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kong
keywords: Body weight; Broiler chickens; Gastrointestinal tract; Microbiota; Relationship