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24,576 grants matching “microbiome”
Reducing Use of Antibiotics without a Prescription among Outpatients in a Safety Net Healthcare System
$500,000Barbara Wells Trautner · Baylor College Of Medicine · R01 · FY2019 · HS
CAREER: Wastewater Counts: Real-time de facto Population Estimation for Quantitative Wastewater-based Epidemiology
$500,000Fangqiong Ling · Washington University · · FY2021 · ENG
MTM 1: The sandy beach microbiome: physical, chemical and biological controls on diversity and function
$500,000Alexandria Boehm · Stanford University · · FY2021 · BIO
MTM 1: An explainable AI system for microbiome characterization and microbiome-based host-phenotype prediction
$500,000Yuzhen Ye · Indiana University · · FY2020 · BIO
MTM1: Network properties of fungal-bacterial interactions: Predictive modeling and functional analysis of the Hawaiian Drosophila gut microbiome
$500,000Joanne Yew · University Of Hawaii · · FY2020 · BIO
Electrobiofabricated thin films for redox-linked bioelectronics
$500,000Gregory F Payne · University Of Maryland, College Park · · FY2019 · ENG
Collaborative Research: Framework: Software: CINES: A Scalable Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Innovation in Network Engineering and Science
$500,000Geoffrey C Fox · Indiana University · · FY2018 · CSE
Monochromatic 222 nm UV light: Development of a safe, cost-effective technology for the efficient reduction of bacterial and viral infection and transmission
$500,000Sung-Jin Park · Eden Park Illumination, Inc. · R42 · FY2019 · AI
Omics Data Generation Center (ODGC) for the Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS) Program - A2CPS Extension Administrative Supplement
$500,000Louise Chang Laurent · University Of California, San Diego · U54 · FY2022 · DA
MICROBIOME REGULATION OF GLYCOSAMINOGLYCAN IN THE SYNOVIAL JOINT NEW START GRANT
$500,000Purdue University · · FY2021 · Department of the Army
The Surface of Hospitals Intensive Environmental Load Disinfection (SHIELD) Study
$500,000Brad J Spellberg · University Of Southern California · R01 · FY2018 · HS
A Multi-'omic Analysis of the Vaginal Microbiome during Pregnancy
$500,000Gregory A Buck · Virginia Commonwealth University · U54 · FY2014 · HD
PAIN IS A MAJOR HEALTH CARE PROBLEM AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR PATIENTS TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP. PAIN SERVES A USEFUL WARNING FUNCTION, BUT FOR REASONS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD, PAIN CAN PERSIST AND DEVELOP INTO A COMPLEX SYNDROME. PERSISTENT OR CHRONIC PAIN IS ASSOCIATED WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL STATES SUCH AS ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AND WITH COGNITIVE DEFICITS. PAIN AS A COMPLEX DISORDER IS STILL DIFFICULT TO TREAT BECAUSE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD.GINGER IS A WELL-KNOWN SPICE PLANT. GINGER CAN HAVE ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. IT HAS BEEN USED FOR A VARIETY OF PAIN-ASSOCIATED AILMENTS SUCH AS OSTEOARTHRITIS AND OPIATE WITHDRAWAL-INDUCED DISORDERS. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF GINGER IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN IS UNCLEAR. IN THIS STUDY, WE WOULD LIKE TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF GINGER ROOT EXTRACT SUPPLEMENTED INTO THE DIET ON PAIN BEHAVIORS OF RATS IN A NEUROPATHIC PAIN MODEL. TWO WEEKS AFTER INDUCTION OF THE PAIN MODEL, THE ANIMALS WILL BE ASSIGNED TO ONE OF FOUR GROUPS. THEY WILL RECEIVE NO OR 3 DIFFERENT DOSES OF GINGER ROOT EXTRACT FOR 5 WEEKS. ALL ANIMALS WILL BE TESTED IN BEHAVIORAL ASSAYS FOR DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN. AT THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT, WE WILL COLLECT FECES FOR GUT MICROBIOME AND METABOLITES MARKERS AS WELL AS THE TISSUES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF NEURO-INFLAMMATORY MARKERS.
$500,000Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
ENDING THE USE OF ANTIBIOTIC GROWTH PROMOTERS (AGPS) CREATES CHALLENGES FOR THE ANIMAL FEED AND FEED ADDITIVE INDUSTRIES. DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES TO AGPS IS URGENTLY REQUIRED IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CURRENT ANIMAL PRODUCTION LEVELS WITHOUT THREATENING PUBLIC HEALTH. BASED UPON OUR RECENT FUNCTIONAL MICROBIOME WORK ANDEMERGING UNDERSTANDING OF INTERACTION BETWEEN BACTERIAL BILE SALT HYDROLASE (BSH) AND HOSTIN THE INTESTINE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF BSH INHIBITORS COULD PROMOTE HOST LIPID METABOLISM AND ENERGY HARVEST, CONSEQUENTLY ENHANCING FEED EFFICIENCY AND BODY WEIGHT GAIN IN POULTRY. TO TEST THIS, WE PLAN TO 1) EVALUATE IDENTIFIED BSH INHIBITORS IN A WELL-SIMULATED CHICKEN EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM; 2) UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISTIC BASIS OF BSH INHIBITORS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF EX VIVO SAMPLES; AND 3) UNDERSTAND BSH STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS AND STRUCTURE-BASED DESIGN OF BSH INHIBITORS.THE OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE ALTERNATIVES TO AGPS FOR THE USE IN POULTRY AND POSSIBLY OTHER LIVESTOCK. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY FILL SIGNIFICANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN BASIC SCIENCE OF BSH ENZYMES BUT ALSO IMPROVEPUBLIC HEALTHAND REDUCE THE DEPENDENCE ON AGPS WHILE MAINTAINING ANIMAL PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.
$500,000University Of Tennessee · · FY2018 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY & BJC EPICENTER FOR PREVENTION OF HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS
$500,000Victoria J. Fraser · Washington University · U54 · FY2018 · CK
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY & BJC EPICENTER FOR PREVENTION OF HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS
$500,000Victoria J. Fraser · Washington University · U54 · FY2019 · CK
Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research Data Coordinating Center
$500,000Elizabeth M McClure · Research Triangle Institute · U24 · FY2021 · HD
**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** TURKEY REOVIRUSES CAUSING LAMENESS IN MARKET AGE TURKEYS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED IN THE US SINCE 2011. SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC LOSSES ARE INCURRED DUE TO POOR WEIGHT GAIN, MORTALITY, AND CONDEMNATIONS AT THE PROCESSING PLANTS. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO CONTROL AND PREVENT REOVIRAL ARTHRITIS IN TURKEYS. TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE CONTROL MEASURE, EMERGING TURKEY REOVIRAL ARTHRITIS NEEDS TO BE COMPREHENSIVELY DEFINED. IN THIS STUDY, WE WILL STUDY TURKEY REOVIRAL ARTHRITIS IN CONTEXT OF AGE-BASED HOST RESPONSES. WE WILL EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AGE ON TISSUE TROPISM OF THE VIRUS, LEVEL OF VIRUS REPLICATION, AND THE ONSET AND SEVERITY OF THE DISEASE. WE WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE HOW NATURAL INFECTION-INDUCED AND PASSIVELY ACQUIRED MATERNAL IMMUNE RESPONSES AFFECT THE ONSET AND DEVELOPMENT OF REOVIRAL ARTHRITIS. IN ADDITION, WE WILL DETERMINE HOW MICROBIOME MODULATION BY PROBIOTIC AFFECTS DISEASE OUTBREAK AND SEVERITY. OUR STUDY WILL NOT ONLY ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM OF TURKEY ARTHRITIS BUT ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF UNRAVELING A NOVEL METHOD OF CONTROLLING REOVIRAL DISEASE IN TURKEYS. ADDITIONALLY, INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THIS STUDY CAN BE APPLIED TO DEVELOP CONTROL AND PREVENTION MEASURES AGAINST OTHER ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT POULTRY ENTERIC VIRAL INFECTIONS.
$500,000Ohio State University, The · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PATHOGENS HAVE DEVELOPED SEVERAL METHODS TO EVADE HOST DEFENSES, INCLUDING WAYS TO USE THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM AGAINST THE HOST. ONE METHOD PATHOGENS USE TO EVADE DETECTION IS TO CAUSE THE HOST TO SECRETE PROTEINS THAT ACT AS SECURITY CLEARANCE FOR THE PATHOGEN. IN THE CASE OF PARASITES OR BACTERIA THAT USE THIS METHOD, THIS ALLOWS THEM TO ESTABLISH IN THE HOST TISSUE AND CAUSE DAMAGE. THIS EVASION METHOD IS USED BY PATHOGENS THAT INFECT BOTH HUMANS AND LIVESTOCK. A FEED ADDITIVE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED THAT ALLOWS THE HOST TO RECOGNIZE THE EVADING PATHOGEN BY RE-INSTATING NORMAL IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION, OR NOT ALLOWING THE PATHOGEN TO BYPASS HOST SECURITY CHECKPOINTS. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS COCCIDIOSIS IN BROILER CHICKENS THAT IS CAUSED BY A PARASITE (EIMERIA) THAT ESTABLISHES A HOME IN THE INTESTINE BY CAUSING THE HOST TO PRODUCE PROTEINS THAT PROTECT EIMERIA FROM DETECTION. USING THIS FEED ADDITIVE, WE WILL STUDY HOW THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS ABLE TO CLEAR THE PATHOGEN WHEN THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM IS ALLOWED TO WORK NORMALLY. WE WILL ALSO STUDY WHAT THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOME DOES TO RESPOND TO THE PATHOGEN, AND DETERMINE HOW ELSE WE CAN SUPPORT IMMUNE FUNCTION WHEN POULTRY ARE BEING CHALLENGED BY A PATHOGEN. THIS WILL ALLOW IDENTIFICATION OF BETTER WAYS TO HELP POULTRY RESPOND TO BACTERIA OR PARASITES FOUND IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
$500,000Iowa State University Of Science And Technology · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** MASTITIS IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT DISEASE IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY AND THE MAIN REASON FOR THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN US DAIRY FARMS. THERE IS INCREASING PRESSURE ON THE INDUSTRY TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC USAGE, AND IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS HAVE EMERGED AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTICS FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF MASTITIS. IN OUR PRELIMINARY STUDIES, AN IMMUNOTHERAPEUTIC COMPOUND, MUCOSIMMUNE, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO UPREGULATE THE INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN THE MAMMARY GLAND OF CATTLE. THUS, THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF OUR MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM (I.E., DAIRY HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT, IMMUNOLOGY, MICROBIOMICS, AND BIOINFORMATICS) IS TO INVESTIGATE THE IMMUNE ACTIVATION DURING THE PERIPARTURIENT PERIOD TO IMPROVE MAMMARY GLAND IMMUNE RESPONSE AND DECREASE THE INCIDENCE OF MASTITIS WITHOUT THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS. IN THIS STUDY WE WILL APPROACH OUR LONG-TERM GOAL BY DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF MUCOSIMMUNE ON (1) THE INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN THE MAMMARY GLAND DURING THE PERIOD IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER PARTURITION, AND (2) THE RESISTANCE TO BACTERIAL INFECTION OF THE MAMMARY GLAND. THESE COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES WILL IMPROVE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HOW OUR MUCOSIMMUNE MAY AFFECT THE INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN THE MAMMARY GLAND AND WHETHER SUCH AN APPROACH CAN BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING MAMMARY GLAND RESISTANCE TO INTRAMAMMARY INFECTIONS. THE KNOWLEDGE GENERATED BY THESE STUDIES WILL BE ESSENTIAL FOR THE LATER DESIGN OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS IN THE FIELD. OUR ULTIMATE LONG-TERM GOAL WITH THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE IMMUNE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING UDDER HEALTH AS ALTERNATIVES TO ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY.
$500,000Regents Of The University Of Minnesota · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Roche 454 GL FLX DNA Sequencer
$500,000William George Farmerie · University Of Florida · S10 · FY2010 · RR
THE INCREASE IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK WITH AGING ACCELERATES AFTER MENOPAUSE IN WOMEN. THE INCREASED RISK WITH AGING IS LARGELY DUE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION IS MEDIATED BY THE GUT MICROBIOME AND THEREFORE REPRESENTS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGET. BLUEBERRIES ARE A PROMISING FUNCTIONAL FOOD FOR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, AND RESEARCH SUGGESTS THEY CAN MODULATE THE GUT MICROBIOTA. WE PREVIOUSLY DEMONSTRATED THAT 8 WEEKS BLUEBERRY CONSUMPTION REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH PRE- AND STAGE 1-HYPERTENSION. THE CURRENT PROJECT WILL EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLUEBERRY CONSUMPTION AND THE GUT MICROBIOME IN PROMOTING CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. WE BELIEVE THAT THE ABILITY OF BLUEBERRIES TO IMPROVE ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE IS DEPENDENT ON THE GUT MICROBIOTA, AND THAT BLUEBERRIES EXERT BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON THE GUT MICROBIOTATHEREBY IMPROVING THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF BLUEBERRIES ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH OVER TIME. THIS WILL BE TESTED USING A REVERSE TRANSLATIONAL APPROACH IN HUMANS, ANIMALS, AND CELLS. THE PROPOSED STUDIES WILL IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACT OF FOODS ON THE HUMAN GUT MICROBIOME WHICH CAN BE UTILIZED IN US AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE FOOD QUALITY TO BETTER PROMOTE HUMAN HEALTH.
$500,000Colorado State University · · FY2020 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
THERE IS NOW A STRONG CONSENSUS THAT THE GUT MICROBIOME IS A CRUCIAL DETERMINANT OF HOST PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH. IT IS ALSO CLEAR THAT PERTURBING THIS COMMUNITY WITH ANTIBIOTICS CAN HAVE VASTLY NEGATIVE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES RANGING FROM CLOSTRIDIODES DIFFICILE COLITIS TO CHRONIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS OBESITY AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. THUS, AS WE WORK TO IMPROVE ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY, WE MUST DEVELOP TREATMENT METHODOLOGIES THAT TARGET PATHOGENS WHILE PRESERVING THE OVERALL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE MICROBIOME FROM ANTIBIOTIC-INDUCED DYSBIOSIS. DIETARY FIBER IS A KEY POSITIVE DETERMINANT OF MICROBIOME METABOLISM AND COMPOSITION. RECENT DATA FROM OUR GROUP INDICATE THAT THE METABOLIC ACTIVITY OF THE MICROBIOME IS A CRUCIAL DETERMINANT OF ANTIBIOTIC-INDUCED MICROBIOME DISRUPTION AND THAT PURIFIED FIBER PROVIDES PREBIOTIC PROTECTION TO THIS COMMUNITY DURING TREATMENT. SINCE FIBER IS NOT TYPICALLY CONSUMED IN THE PURIFIED FORM, IN THIS GRANT WE WILL PROFILE THE IMPACT OF THREE KEY COMMODITYGRAINS WITH HIGH FIBER CONTENT, FIELD CORN, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT AND WHOLE GRAIN OATS, ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE MURINE MICROBIOME AND ITS RESPONSE TO ANTIBIOTICS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT SUPPLEMENTATION WITH THESE GRAINS WILL REDUCE THE DETRIMENTAL IMPACT OF ANTIBIOTICS ON THE MICROBIOME AND PROMOTE RECOVERY AFTER TREATMENT. WE WILL ALSO TEST IF THIS PROTECTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED HOST HEALTH INDICATORS SUCH AS: GUT BARRIER FUNCTION, REDUCED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, AND ELEVATED PROTECTION FROM ENTERIC PATHOGENS. IN THE LONG-TERM, IDENTIFYING PREBIOTIC WHOLE GRAINS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF REDUCING ANTIBIOTIC-ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS WILL, IN TURN, PROMOTE THE CONSUMPTION OF THESE AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT GRAINS AND IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH.
$500,000Brown University · · FY2020 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
RATIONALEMETHANE (CH4), A POTENT GREENHOUSE GAS, IS NATURALLY PRODUCED IN THE RETICULO-RUMEN BY METHANOGENIC ARCHAEA UTILIZING HYDROGEN (H2) RELEASED DURING FEED FERMENTATION BY BACTERIA. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT UNDERREPRESENTED METHANOL-REDUCING METHANOSPHAERA AND METHANOL- AND METHYLAMINE-REDUCING METHANOMASSILIICOCCALES MAY HAVE A GREATER SHARE IN OVERALL CH4 PRODUCTION COMPARED WITH CO2 REDUCING METHANOBREVIBACTER; HOWEVER, KNOWLEDGE ON WHO THE MAIN ARCHAEAL PLAYERS ARE AND THEIR PROPORTIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO TOTAL CH4 FORMATION IN THE RUMEN IS LACKING. FURTHERMORE, THE FATE OF H2 WHEN CH4 PRODUCTION IS INHIBITED REMAINS UNRESOLVED AS EXCESSIVE H2 ACCUMULATION CAN INHIBIT FEED FERMENTATION IN THE RUMEN. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE CONTRIBUTION OF INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS TO TOTAL CH4 FORMATION AND DETERMINE THE IMPLICATIONS OF INHIBITING INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS ON REGULATION OF H2 METABOLISM IN H2-PRODUCING BACTERIA IN THE RUMEN. WE PROPOSE TO USE MACROALGA ASPARAGOPSIS TAXIFORMIS (AT) AS A FEED SUPPLEMENT THAT CAN SERVE AS POTENT INHIBITOR OF METHANOGENESIS IN THE RUMENHYPOTHESISTHE OVERARCHING HYPOTHESIS IS THAT METHANOSPHAERA AND METHANOMASSILIICOCCALES MAY HAVE A GREATER SHARE IN TOTAL CH4 FORMATION THAN WAS ORIGINALLY THOUGHT AND THAT SUPPLEMENTING DAIRY COWS WITH THE MACROALGA ASPARAGOPSIS TAXIFORMIS (AT) MAY SELECTIVELY ELIMINATE METHANOSPHAERA IN THE RUMEN.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVE 1: DECIPHER AND QUANTIFY THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF METHANOBREVIBACTER, METHANOSPHAER,A AND METHANOMASSILIICOCCALES TO TOTAL CH4 FORMATION IN THE RUMEN OF DAIRY COWS.THE GOAL OF THIS OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE THE FUNCTIONAL ROLE OF DIFFERENT METHANOGENS, QUANTIFY THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO TOTAL CH4 FORMATION, AND DETERMINE HOW AT SELECTIVELY INHIBITS METHANOSPHAERA. TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE WILL FIRST PERFORM IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS WITH PURE CULTURES OF INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS AND DETERMINE THEIR SENSITIVITY TO AT. SECOND, WE WILL PERFORM IN VITRO RUMEN FERMENTATION ASSAYS WITH RUMEN INOCULUM OBTAINED FROM DAIRY COWS WITH HIGH AND LOW CH4-YIELD PHENOTYPES. METHANE EMISSIONS AND THE RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS WILL BE ASSESSED AT DIFFERENT TIMES IN A 24H INCUBATION PERIOD WITH AND WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF AT. FINALLY, AN IN VIVO 4 X 4 LATIN SQUARE EXPERIMENT WILL BE CONDUCTED USING 20 COWS WITH 4 TREATMENTS (0, 0.25, 0.5, AND 0.75% AT DIETARY DRY MATTER BASIS). AT THE END OF EACH PERIOD, RUMEN SAMPLES WILL BE OBTAINED FROM THE COWS WHICH WILL BE SUBJECTED TO AMPLICON, METAGENOMIC, AND METATRANSCRIPTOMIC APPROACHES TO DETERMINE DIFFERENCES IN MICROBIAL COMPOSITION AS WELL AS THEIR GENES AND TRANSCRIPTS. IN ADDITION, WE WILL ALSO COLLECT DATA ON CH4 EMISSIONS, DISSOLVED AND FREE H2 AND FERMENTATION IN THE RUMEN, DIETARY DRY MATTER INTAKE, AND MILK YIELD AND COMPOSITION.OBJECTIVE 2: DETERMINE THE FATE OF H2 UNDER CH4 INHIBITION IN THE RUMEN OF DAIRY COWS WITH DIFFERENT CH4 YIELD PHENOTYPES WITH AND WITHOUT AT SUPPLEMENTATION.THE GOAL OF THIS OBJECTIVE IS TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN H2 PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION IN THE RUMEN. THE HYPOTHESIS IS THAT SUPPLEMENTING AT TO LOW CH4-YIELD COWS MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN NOT ONLY REDUCING CH4 BUT ALSO IN DIVERTING H2 TO NON-METHANOGENIC BACTERIA AND MAY IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF RUMEN FERMENTATION. FURTHER, BY DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF AT ON INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS, AND TRACKING HYDROGENASES AND H2 UPTAKE BY NON-METHANOGENIC SINKS, THIS STUDY WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR H2 THAT IS SPARED WHEN CH4 IS INHIBITED AND WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO PREDICT FERMENTATION PATHWAYS. WE WILL USE BOTH METAGENOMICS AND METATRANSCRIPTOMICS TO TRACK HYDROGENASES AND H2 UPTAKE BY NON-METHANOGENIC SINKS IN THE RUMEN OF HIGH AND LOW CH4 EMITTERS SUPPLEMENTED WITH AT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND H2 METABOLISM IN THE RUMEN. EIGHT TO 10 COWS EACH FOR HIGH AND LOW CH4-YIELD PHENOTYPES WILL BE IDENTIFIED WITH HALF THE COWS IN EACH GROUP RECEIVING AT (0.5% DIETARY DRY MATTER) AND THE REMAINING COWS SERVING AS CONTROL. EACH EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD WILL BE 28 D, WITH 21 D FOR ADAPTATION TO THE DIET AND 7 D FOR SAMPLING AND DATA COLLECTION. DATA FOR CH4, CO2, AND H2 EMISSIONS, TOTAL TRACT DIGESTIBILITY, URINARY NITROGEN LOSSES, RUMEN FERMENTATION (INCLUDING DISSOLVED H2), RUMEN MICROBIOTA, MILK FATTY ACID PROFILE, AND PRODUCTION VARIABLES (DMI, MILK YIELD AND COMPOSITION) WILL BE ANALYZED.OBJECTIVE 3: DETERMINE THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH BUTYRATE PRODUCTION IS INCREASED IN H2-PRODUCING BACTERIA IN THE RUMEN WITH INHIBITED METHANOGENESIS USING LABELED PRECURSORS.THE GOAL OF THIS OBJECTIVE IS TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH BUTYRATE-PRODUCING BACTERIA SENSE H2 UNDER INHIBITED METHANOGENESIS BY AT. WE WILL USE LABELED GLUCOSE AS A VFA PRECURSOR TO UNDERSTAND HOW BUTYRATE PRODUCTION IS ENHANCED UNDER CH4 INHIBITION WITH AT AND TO WHAT EXTENT THE LABELED GLUCOSE IS DIRECTED TO ACETATE, PROPIONATE, AND BUTYRATE USING IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS. TOTAL GAS PRODUCTION, GAS COMPOSITION, FERMENTATIONVARIABLES, FIBER DEGRADABILITY, AND MICROBIAL PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND MICROBIOME COMPOSITION WILL BE MONITORED.EXPECTED RESULTSWE EXPECT TO QUANTIFY THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS IN METHANOGENESIS AND TOTAL CH4 FORMATION IN THE RUMEN. FURTHER, WE ALSO ANTICIPATE UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF AT IN INHIBITION OF METHANOGENESIS. BY SUPPLEMENTING AT TO LOW CH4-YIELD DAIRY COWS, WE ANTICIPATE NOT ONLY INHIBITING METHANOGENESIS BUT ALSO DIVERTING H2 AWAY FROM CH4 FORMATION TO OTHER SINKS THAT HELP INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN THE RUMEN. FROM THIS PROJECT, WE ANTICIPATE ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE ON MECHANISMS BY WHICH BUTYRATE-PRODUCING BACTERIA SENSE CHANGES IN H2 CONCENTRATIONS IN RESPONSE TO CH4 INHIBITION. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT MAY PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS ON ENHANCING ENERGY EFFICIENCY WHILE MITIGATING CH4 EMISSIONS FROM DAIRY COWS.ANTICIPATED IMPACTBY UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS AND ALSO SELECTIVELY INHIBITING INDIVIDUAL METHANOGENS, THIS PROJECT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CH4 EMISSIONS FROM DAIRY COWS WITHOUT ADVERSELY AFFECTING INTAKE AND PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO SHED LIGHT ON ALTERNATE PATHWAYS OF FERMENTATION IN THE RUMEN THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY IN DAIRY COWS.
$500,000Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania, The · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture
**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SUSTAINABLE DAIRY AND BEEF PRODUCTION ARE A MAJOR GOAL OF US AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. IN ORDER TO INCREASE PRODUCER PROFITS AND REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, WE MUST IDENTIFY INEFFICIENCIES IN THE SYSTEM AND PROVIDE DATA-DRIVEN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE FIELDS OF CATTLE GENETICS AND ANIMAL NUTRITION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION; HOWEVER, A MAJOR COMPONENT OF BEEF AND DAIRY SYSTEMS REMAINS LARGELY UNCHARACTERIZED: THE RUMEN MICROBIOME. RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE DIGESTION OF FEED AND PLANT MATERIALS FOR THE HOST COW, THE MICROBES OF THE RUMEN REPRESENT A COMPOSITE OF THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT SPECIES EACH WITH DIFFERENT IMPACT ON THE COW'S FEED EFFICIENCY. BACTERIA ARE TYPICALLY THE DIGESTERS OF FIBER IN THE RUMEN, WHEREAS ARCHAEA ARE THE PRIMARY METHANE PRODUCERS -- THE GREENHOUSE GAS THAT IS OVER 35 TIMES MORE POTENT THAN CARBON DIOXIDE. MIXED IN WITH BACTERIAL AND ARCHAEAL CELLS IN THE RUMEN MICROBIOME ARE CILIATED PROTOZOA CELLS THAT NAVIGATE RUMEN FLUID TO CONSUME BACTERIA, PLANT MATERIALS OR CHEMICALS.BEING APPROXIMATELY 100 TIMES LARGER THAN THE AVERAGE RUMEN BACTERIAL CELLS, THESE PROTOZOA ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF WHALES IN THE OCEAN OF THE RUMEN DIGESTA; HOWEVER, WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THEIR BIOLOGY AND IMPACTS ON THE SYSTEM. THERE ARE MANY SIGNS THAT THE PROTOZOA ARE MORE DIVERSE IN FUNCTION AND GENETICS THAN WE HAVE PRESENTLY OBSERVED, BUT WE LACK SUFFICIENT TOOLS TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN EACH SPECIES ON A GENETIC LEVEL. UNLIKE THE BACTERIA, PROTOZOA ARE NOT ESSENTIAL TO CATTLE RUMEN FUNCTION SO THEY CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE SYSTEM WITHOUT MAJOR DETERIMENTAL EFFECTS TO THE COW.OBSERVATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT PROTOZOA INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF METHANE EMITTED BY THE COW, BUT ONLY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE EXISTS AS TO WHY THIS IS THE CASE. TO BEGIN TO UNRAVEL THE IMPACTS OF PROTOZOA ON CATTLE RUMEN FUNCTION, WE NEED TO DEVELOP GENETIC TOOLS TO IDENTIFY THEM IN THE COW AND HER ENVIRONMENT. USING THE LATEST IN DNA SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES, WE PLAN TO CREATE DETAILED GENETIC MAPS OF EACH PROTOZOA SPECIES SO THAT THEY CAN BE INVESTIGATED FOR THEIR UNIQUE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL IMPACTS ON THE SYSTEM. IF SUCCESSFUL, WE BELIEVE OUTCOMES FROM OUR WORK WILL HAVE IMPACTS ON DAIRY AND BEEF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY BY REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND CONVERTING THEM INTO IMPROVED NUTRITION FOR THE COW HERSELF.
$500,000Agricultural Research Service · · FY2021 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture