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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370058
Research Project: Antibiotic Alternatives for Controlling Foodborne Pathogens and Disease in Poultry

Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research

Title: The neuroendocrine biogeography of the Japanese quail stressed gut and impact on the diversity of the quail microbiome

Author
item Lyte, Joshua - Josh
item KEANE, JAMES - Cork Institute Of Technology
item ECKENBERGER, JULIA - University College Cork
item ANTHONY, NICHOLAS - University Of Arkansas
item SHRESTHA, SANDIP - University Of Arkansas
item MARASINI, DAYA - Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) - United States
item DANIELS, KARRIE - Iowa State University
item CAPUTI, VALENTINA - University College Cork
item Donoghue, Ann - Annie
item LYTE, MARK - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Introduction: Neuroendocrine plasticity of the avian gut plays fundamental roles in host-microbiome bi-directional communication. Although stress-induced changes in neuroendocrine axes can alter host-microbiome dialogue with consequence for the host, how stress affects the neuroendocrine environment in a region-dependent manner locally within the avian gut and if this is related to the microbiome is unknown. We investigated whether Japanese quail that exhibit divergent responses to stress in the hallmark measure corticosterone exhibit contrasting, region-dependent stress responses within the gut and harbor distinct enteric microbiomes. Experimental design: Japanese quail lines divergent in plasma corticosterone response to brief handling were randomly divided into stress and non-stress (control) groups. Quail were handled a single time for 15min and either immediately sacrificed (0min post-stress) or allowed to recover for 30min or 60min following the handling stress. Plasma corticosterone was assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, gut neurochemistry was assessed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography, and 16s rRNA gene sequencing was performed on the cecal microbiome. Two-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s post-hoc analyzed corticosterone and neurochemical data, PERMANOVA with the Adonis function assessed microbiota beta diversity differences, and Kruskal-Wallis or Wilcox signed rank tests assessed alpha diversities. Statistical significance was set p<0.05. Results: Quail that diverged in corticosterone response to acute handling stress showed strongly contrasting neuroendocrine changes along the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, stress caused an increase in serotonin production in the jejunum and colon of the high stress responsive but not low stress responsive quail. Major differences also included other neurochemicals including colonic dopamine concentrations which were greater in high stress compared to low stress responsive quail. High and low stress responsive quail were found to harbor distinct enteric microbial communities and profound differences in microbial diversity. Conclusions: The neuroendocrine responsivity to stress of the avian gut is region-specific. Stress response of the bird as typically measured using the hallmark measure corticosterone in blood may predict susceptibility or resilience of the gut neuroendocrine system and taxonomic composition of the cecal microbiome.