Effect of Supplementing Lysins and Methionine to Low-protein Diets on Growth Performance, Hepatic Antioxidant Capacity, Immune Status, and Glycolytic Activity of Tibetan Sheep

Overview

Journal BMC Genomics

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Genetics

Date 2024 Jun 4

PMID 38834972

Authors

Qiurong Ji

Fengshuo Zhang

Quyangangmao Su

Tingli He

Zhenling Wu

Kaina Zhu

Xuan Chen

Zhiyou Wang

Shengzhen Hou

Linsheng Gui

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Reducing the levels of dietary protein is an effective nutritional approach in lowering feed cost and nitrogen emissions in ruminants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Lys/Met ratio in a low protein diet (10%, dry matter basis) on the growth performance and hepatic function (antioxidant capacity, immune status, and glycolytic activity) in Tibetan lambs. Ninety two-month-old rams with an average weight of 15.37 ± 0.92 kg were randomly assigned to LP-L (dietary Lys/Met = 1:1), LP-M (dietary Lys/Met = 2:1) and LP-H (dietary Lys/Met = 3:1) treatments. The trial was conducted over 100 d, including 10 d of adaption to the diets. Hepatic phenotypes, antioxidant capacity, immune status, glycolytic activity and gene expression profiling was detected after the conclusion of the feeding trials. The results showed that the body weight was higher in the LP-L group when compared to those on the LP-M group (P < 0.05). In addition, the activities of the catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the LP-L group were significantly increased compared with the LP-M group (P < 0.05), while the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in LP-H group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with LP-H group, both hepatic glycogen (P < 0.01) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < 0.05) were significantly elevated in LP-L group. For the LP-L group, the hepatocytes were arranged radially with the central vein in the center, and hepatic plates exhibited tight arrangement. Transcriptome analysis identified 29, 179, and 129 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the LP-M vs. LP-L, LP-H vs. LP-M, and LP-H vs. LP-L groups, respectively (Q-values < 0.05 and |log2Fold Change| > 1). Gene Ontology (GO) and correlation analyses showed that in the LP-L group, core genes (C1QA and JUNB) enriched in oxidoreductase activity were positively correlated with antioxidant indicators, while the MYO9A core gene enriched in the immune response was positively associated with immune indicators, and core genes enriched in molecular function (PDK3 and PDP2) were positively correlated with glycolysis indicators. In summary, low-protein diet with a low Lys/Met ratio (1:1) could reduce the hepatic oxidative stress and improve the glycolytic activity by regulating the expression of related genes of Tibetan sheep.

Citing Articles

Different lysine-to-methionine ratios in a low-protein diet affect the microbiome and metabolome, influencing the jejunal barrier function in Tibetan sheep.

Zhang F, Wu Z, Zhang Y, Su Q, Zhu K, Chen X Front Microbiol. 2025; 16:1441143.

PMID: 40012772 PMC: 11861081. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1441143.

Effects of different Lys/Met ratios on the antioxidant capacity, tissue morphology, and fatty acid composition of subcutaneous fat in Tibetan sheep on low-protein diets: a lipidomic analysis.

Sa R, Zhang F, Zhang X, Gao W, Zhang Y, Gan J Front Vet Sci. 2025; 11:1528331.

PMID: 39949758 PMC: 11824274. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1528331.

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