© INRAE
Exploraty project EnterotyPig (2020- 2021)

EnterotyPig - Gut microbiota enterotypes in pigs: detailed characterisation and influence of host genetics on holobiont assembly

The EnterotyPig project is part of area 1 of the metaprogramme which focuses on studying the assembly and interaction mechanisms within holobionts in farmed livestock, in this case pigs. This project concerns analysis of the genetic determinism of the host in the construction of the holobiont and its evolution over life, and a differential functional analysis of two enterotypes (i.e. types of microbiota) found to be dominant under our rearing conditions.

Context and challenges

In animals, and particularly mammals, studying the influence of host genetics on composition of the gut microbiota is hampered by the problem of clearly dissociating microbiota variability due to genetic effects from that due to environmental effects, linked notably to transmission of the maternal microbiota at birth. A formal demonstration of the possibilities of host-microbiota evolution (holobiont) by directional selection over several generations would enable progress in answering this question.

Goals

Our goal is to use pigs to study the effects of host genetics on the gut microbiota, considered not just as a simple phenotype but as a dynamic ecosystem that co-evolves with its host within the framework of the holobiont concept.  

We propose to develop and use a study model based on the constitution of pig lines that contrast in terms of two enterotypes, in order to:

  1. Study the intergenerational transmission of enterotypes and their association with breeding traits;
  2. Study the influence of the peri-postnatal maternal environment through crossed adoptions;
  3. Characterise the detailed taxonomic composition of the two enterotypes through quantitative metagenomic analyses, exploiting the catalogue of genes present in the gut microbiota of pigs;
  4. Assess the feasibility and usefulness of a rapid and reliable test to classify animals by enterotype;
  5. Determine the evolutionary dynamics of enterotypes.

 

INRAE partners

Lab / Team

Division

Expertise

GABI
GeMS

Génétique Animale

Génétique et génomique porcine, étude des interactions hôte-microbiote intestinal, biologie computationnelle, métagénomique, expérimentation animale et prélèvements en unité expérimentale, extraction ADN fécal

GABI Plateforme@BRIDGe

Génétique Animale

Séquençage MiSeq

GenPhySE
ModGen

Génétique Animale

Génétique quantitative, estimation des paramètres génétiques, gestion des lignées porcines avec saisine au comité d’éthique Poitou-Charentes

MICALIS
MIHA

Microbiologie et chaîne alimentaire

Microbiologie, biologie moléculaire, fonctionnalité de souches et de microbiote, bioinformatique, génomique

MGP
INFOBIOSTAT

Microbiologie et chaîne alimentaire

Statistiques et bioinformatique, relations microbiote/santé

GENESI
Équipe porc

Génétique Animale

Production des animaux des deux lignées ; congélation de semence

 

Contact - Coordination :

Modification date: 04 September 2024 | Publication date: 16 November 2021 | By: Com, DC