BACKGROUND: The mechanism by which Meishan (MS) sows are superior to white crossbred sows in ovarian follicle development remains unclear. Given gut microbiota could regulate female ovarian function and reproductive capacity, this study aimed to determine the role of gut microbiota-ovary axis on follicular development in sows. METHODS: We compared the ovarian follicular development, gut microbiota, plasma metabolome, and follicular fluid metabolome between MS and Landrace × Yorkshire (L × Y) sows. A H2O2-induced cell apoptosis model was used to evaluate the effects of multi-omics identified metabolites on the apoptosis of porcine ovarian granulosa cells in vitro. RESULTS: Compared with L × Y sows, MS sows have greater ovary weight and improved follicular development, including the greater counts of large follicles of diameter ≥ 5 mm, secondary follicles, and antral follicles, but lesser atretic follicles. The ovarian granulosa cells in MS sows had alleviated apoptosis, which was indicated by the increased BCL-2, decreased caspases-3, and decreased cleaved caspases-3 than in L × Y sows. The ovarian follicular fluid of MS sows had higher concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and insulin like growth factor 1 than L × Y sows. Gut microbiota of MS sows formed a distinct cluster and had improved alpha diversity, including increased Shannon and decreased Simpson than those of L × Y sows. Corresponding to the enhanced function of carbohydrate metabolism and elevated short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces, the differential metabolites in plasma between MS and L × Y sows are also mainly enriched in pathways of fatty acid metabolism. There were significant correlations among SCFAs with follicular development, ovarian granulosa cells apoptosis, and follicular fluid hormones, respectively. Noteworthily, compared with L × Y sows, MS sows had higher follicular fluid SCFAs concentrations which could ameliorate H2O2-induced porcine granulosa cells apoptosis in vitro. CONCLUSION: MS sows have more secondary and antral follicles, but fewer atretic follicles and apoptotic ovarian granulosa cells, as well as harbored a distinctive gut microbiota than L × Y sows. Gut microbiota may participate in regulating ovarian follicular development via SCFAs affecting granulosa cells apoptosis in sows.
Experiment 1
Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-3
Subjects
- Location of subjects
- China
- Host species Species from which microbiome was sampled. Contact us to have more species added.
- Sus scrofa domesticus
- Body site Anatomical site where microbial samples were extracted from according to the Uber Anatomy Ontology
- Feces Cow dung,Cow pat,Droppings,Dung,Excrement,Excreta,Faeces,Fecal material,Fecal matter,Fewmet,Frass,Guano,Matières fécales@fr,Merde@fr,Ordure,Partie de la merde@fr,Piece of shit,Porción de mierda@es,Portion of dung,Portion of excrement,Portion of faeces,Portion of fecal material,Portion of fecal matter,Portion of feces,Portion of guano,Portion of scat,Portionem cacas,Scat,Spoor,Spraint,Stool,Teil der fäkalien@de,Feces,feces
- Group 0 name Corresponds to the control (unexposed) group for case-control studies
- L×Y (Landrace × Yorkshire sows)
- Group 1 name Corresponds to the case (exposed) group for case-control studies
- MS (Meishan sows)
- Group 1 definition Diagnostic criteria applied to define the specific condition / phenotype represented in the case (exposed) group
- Meishan sows were defined as the case group based on their breed-specific reproductive characteristics, including a significantly greater number of antral follicles and higher serum estradiol levels compared to Landrace x Yorkshire sows.
- Group 0 sample size Number of subjects in the control (unexposed) group
- 7
- Group 1 sample size Number of subjects in the case (exposed) group
- 7
Lab analysis
- Sequencing type
- 16S
- 16S variable region One or more hypervariable region(s) of the bacterial 16S gene
- V4
- Sequencing platform Manufacturer and experimental platform used for quantifying microbial abundance
- Illumina
Statistical Analysis
- Data transformation Data transformation applied to microbial abundance measurements prior to differential abundance testing (if any).
- relative abundances
- Statistical test
- LEfSe
- Significance threshold p-value or FDR threshold used for differential abundance testing (if any)
- 0.05
- MHT correction Have statistical tests be corrected for multiple hypothesis testing (MHT)?
- No
- LDA Score above Threshold for the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) score for studies using the popular LEfSe tool
- 2
Alpha Diversity
- Shannon Estimator of species richness and species evenness: more weight on species richness
- increased
- Chao1 Abundance-based estimator of species richness
- unchanged
- Simpson Estimator of species richness and species evenness: more weight on species evenness
- decreased
- Richness Number of species
- unchanged
Signature 1
Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-3
Source: Figure 5A, B
Description: LefSe analysis showing differentially abundant taxa between MS and L × Y sows
Abundance in Group 1: increased abundance
in
MS (Meishan sows)
| NCBI | Quality Control | Links |
|---|
| Bacteroidaceae | | |
| Clostridiaceae | | |
| Fibrobacter | | |
| Oscillospira | | |
| Porphyromonadaceae | | |
| Spirochaetales | | |
| Turicibacteraceae | | |
| TuricibacteralesTuricibacterales | | |
| Spirochaetota | | |
Revision editor(s): Anne-mariesharp
Signature 2
Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-3
Curated date: 2025/05/15
Curator: Ese
Revision editor(s): Ese
Source: Figure 5A,B
Description: LefSe analysis showing differentially abundant taxa between MS and L × Y sows
Abundance in Group 1: decreased abundance
in
MS (Meishan sows)
| NCBI | Quality Control | Links |
|---|
| Bacilli | | |
| Erysipelotrichaceae | | |
| Erysipelotrichales | | |
| Erysipelotrichia | | |
| Lachnospiraceae | | |
| Lactobacillales | | |
| Streptococcaceae | | |
| Veillonellaceae | | |
Revision editor(s): Ese
