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Rumen fluid metabolomics of beef steers differing in feed efficiency

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Abstract

Introduction

Beef is the most consumed red meat in the United States, and the US is the largest producer and consumer of beef cattle globally. Feed is one of the largest input costs for the beef cattle industry, accounting for 40–60% of the total input costs. Identifying methods for improving feed efficiency in beef cattle herds could result in decreased cost to both producers and consumers, as well as increased animal protein available for global consumption.

Methods

In this study, rumen fluid was collected from low- (n = 14) and high-RFI (n = 15) steers. Rumen fluid was filtered through a 0.22 µM syringe filter, extracted using 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile:water:methanol (2:2:1) and injected into the Dionex UltiMate 3000 UHPLC system with an Exactive Plus Orbitrap MS. Peaks were identified using MAVEN and analyzed using MetaboAnalyst 4.0 and SAS. Significance was determined using an α ≤ 0.05.

Results

Eight metabolites were greater in low-RFI steers compared to high-RFI steers, including 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate, 4-pyridoxate, citraconate, hypoxanthine, succinate/methylmalonate, thymine, uracil, and xylose (P ≤ 0.05). These metabolites were predominantly involved in amino acid and lipid metabolism.

Conclusions

Rumen fluid metabolomes differ in steers of varying feed efficiencies. These metabolites may be used as biomarkers of feed efficiency, and may provide insight as to factors contributing to differences in feed efficiency that may be exploited to improve feed efficiency in beef cattle herds.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Ascus Biosciences, Inc. (Grant No. A17-0146–003) and USDA-NIFA Hatch/Multistate Project W4177—TEN00538—Enhancing the Competitiveness and Value of U.S. Beef; Accession Number: 1016984. The authors thank the staff at the Plateau Research and Education Center in Crossville, TN for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Brooke A. Clemmons, Taylor B. Seay & Phillip R. Myer

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Joshua B. Powers & Shawn R. Campagna

  3. ASCUS Biosciences, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA

    Mallory M. Embree

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  1. Brooke A. Clemmons
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Contributions

BAC performed research, analyzed data, and wrote the paper. JBP contributed analytical tools and analyzed data. SRC contributed analytical tools and analyzed data. TBS analyzed data and wrote segments of the paper. MME conceived of or designed study, performed research, and analyzed data. PRM conceived of or designed study, performed research, analyzed data, and wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Phillip R. Myer.

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Conflict of interest

BA Clemmons, JB Powers, SR Campagna, TB Seay, and PR Myer declare that they have no conflict of interest. MM Embree is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Ascus Biosciences, Inc.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Clemmons, B.A., Powers, J.B., Campagna, S.R. et al. Rumen fluid metabolomics of beef steers differing in feed efficiency. Metabolomics 16, 23 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-020-1643-x

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