Gut microbiome and functional prediction of metabolic pathways associated with fat an muscle tissue accumulation in beef cattle

Reducing economic losses, improving feed utilization, maintaining health and improving the quality of finished products in the livestock industry are the main tasks that need to be solved. Scientists around the world are already proposing to use animals based on their genetic selection, which characterizes high-quality phenotypic traits. Methods are used to measure the external data and meat qualities of cattle using advanced systems for recognizing live animal bodies, including depth cameras and soft reconstruction of three-dimensional shape. However, one of the criteria for assessing animals can be the analysis of the genetic bank of microorganisms, closely related to the functional activity of the animal's digestive system. A comprehensive assessment of gene expression, taxonomic structure of the microbiome, exterior characteristics and meat productivity in combination will provide more accurate forecasts for the use and selection of animals. Our study presents the results of metagenomic sequencing (NGS) of the intestinal contents of young animals (n=40) raised in a feedlot, and annotates the association of the microbiome with their live weight and marbling degree, predicting the metabolic pathways with which these genes were associated. The analysis (LEfSe) revealed a taxonomic difference in the intestinal contents of animals with high and low live weight, the genera Clostridium sensu stricto, Clostridium XlVa, Treponema were predominant in animals with lower live weight.