ena-STUDY-BGI-22-11-2017-08:59:06:480-25
A catalog of microbial genes from the bovine rumen reveals the determinants of herbivory
The rumen microbiome is responsible for the unique nature of ruminants. A thorough knowledge of the genetic potential of rumen symbiotic microbes is therefore crucial for the sustainability of ruminant production systems. Using deep metagenome sequencing we identified 13,825,880 non-redundant prokaryote genes from the bovine rumen and constructed 324 high quality metagenomic species. These metagenomic species were prevalent in the rumen of 77 cattle fed various diets whereas known rumen microbial genomes were less abundant. Compared to human, pig and mouse gut metagenome catalogs, the rumen is richer in functions and microbial species associated to the degradation of lignocellulosic material and production of methane. Genes coding for enzymes that deconstruct lignocellulosic substrates showed a particularly high richness that is otherwise impossible to infer from available genomes or shallow metagenomics sequencing. These data bring new insights on functions, enzymes and microbes of the rumen, critical to understand phenotypes and biological processes.
The rumen microbiome is responsible for the unique nature of ruminants. A thorough knowledge of the genetic potential of rumen symbiotic microbes is therefore crucial for the sustainability of ruminant production systems. Using deep metagenome sequencing we identified 13,825,880 non-redundant prokaryote genes from the bovine rumen and constructed 324 high quality metagenomic species. These metagenomic species were prevalent in the rumen of 77 cattle fed various diets whereas known rumen microbial genomes were less abundant. Compared to human, pig and mouse gut metagenome catalogs, the rumen is richer in functions and microbial species associated to the degradation of lignocellulosic material and production of methane. Genes coding for enzymes that deconstruct lignocellulosic substrates showed a particularly high richness that is otherwise impossible to infer from available genomes or shallow metagenomics sequencing. These data bring new insights on functions, enzymes and microbes of the rumen, critical to understand phenotypes and biological processes.