Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-03T20:21:43.512Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Nutritional availability of amino acids from the rumen anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix sp. LM1 in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

S. K. Gulati
Affiliation:
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia
J. R. Ashes
Affiliation:
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia
G. L. R. Gordon
Affiliation:
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia
P. J. Connell
Affiliation:
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Animal Production, PO Box 239, Blacktown, NSW 2148, Australia
P. L. Rogers
Affiliation:
Department of Biotechnology, University of New South Wales, PO Box 1, Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia

Summary

The rumen anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix sp. LM1 was specifically labelled in batch culture with either [14C]lysine, [14C]lysine + [3H] tyrosine, [14C] methionine, or [35S] sulphide. Fractionation of acid hydrolysates of fungal biomass on an amino acid analyser showed that the labelled amino acids were directly incorporated into fungal protein with little or no degradation. [35S] Sulphide was incorporated into cysteine and methionine.

Absorption of amino acids from the small intestine was measured in sheep with permanent fistulae in the abomasum and terminal ileum, by introducing radiolabelled fungal biomass into the abomasum together with Cr-EDTA as the marker for digesta flow. The proportions of [14C] lysine (Expt 1), [14C] lysine + [3H] tyrosine (Expt 2), [14C] methionine (Expt 3) and the sulphur amino acids from [35S] sulphide (Expt 4) which appeared unabsorbed at the terminal ileum averaged 0·13, 0·07 + 0·08, 0·13 and 0·02, respectively. These proportions reflect the high digestibility of certain essential amino acids and the sulphur amino acids of fungal proteins. The results indicate that the true fractional digestibility of fungal proteins is c. 0·9. Consequently, a large biomass of anaerobic fungi in rumen digesta would be expected to provide a valuable source of digestible amino acids to ruminants.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Akin, D. E., Gordon, G. L. R. & Hogan, J. P. (1983). Rumen bacterial and fungal degradation of Digitaria pentzii grown with or without sulphur. Applied Environmental Microbiology 46, 738748.Google Scholar
Armstrong, D. G. & Hutton, K. (1975). Fate of nitrogenous compounds entering the small intestine. In Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant (Eds McDonald, I. W. & Warner, A. C. I.), pp. 432447. Armidale, NSW: University of New England.Google Scholar
Ashes, J. R., Mangan, J. L. & Sidhu, G. S. (1984). Nutritional availability of amino acids from protein crosslinked to protect against degradation in the rumen. British Journal of Nutrition 52, 239247.Google Scholar
Bauchop, T. (1979). Rumen anaerobic fungi of cattle and sheep. Applied Environmental Microbiology 38, 148158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Binnerts, W. T., Van'T Klooster, A. T. & Frens, A. M. (1968). Soluble chromium indicator measured by atomic absorbtion in digestion experiments. Veterinary Record 82, 470.Google Scholar
Connell, P. J., Gulati, S. K. & Ashes, J. R. (1987). Improved techniques in the measurement of amino acids and amino sugars in rumen anaerobic fungi. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 12, 9295.Google Scholar
Elliot, R. & Little, D. A. (1977). The true absorption of cyst(e)ine from the ovine small intestine. British Journal of Nutrition 37, 285287.Google Scholar
Gordon, G. L. R. (1985). The potential for manipulation of rumen fungi. In Biotechnology and Recombinant Dna Technology in the Animal Production Industries. Reviews in Rural Science No. 6. (Eds Leng, R. A., Barker, J. S. F., Adams, D. B. & Hutchinson, K. J.), pp. 124128. Armidale, NSW: University of New England.Google Scholar
Gulati, S. K., Ashes, J. R., Gordon, G. L. R. & Phillips, M. W. (1985). Possible contribution of rumen fungi to fibre digestion in sheep. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 10, 126.Google Scholar
Gulati, S. K., Ashes, J. R., Gordon, G. L. R. & Rogers, P. L. (1987). Kinetic studies of Neocallimastix sp., Lm.la rumen anaerobic fungus. Australian Journal of Biotechnology 1, 5558.Google Scholar
Hecker, J. F. (1974). Experimental Surgery on Small Ruminants. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Hogan, J. P. (1981). Estimating the sites and extent of digestion in ruminants. In Forage Evaluation—Concepts and Techniques. (Eds Wheeler, J. L. & Mochrie, R. D.), pp. 179181. Melbourne: Csiro & American Forage and Grassland Council.Google Scholar
Hungate, R. E. (1966). The Rumen and its Microbes. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kalberer, F. & Rutschmann, J. (1961). Eine Schnellmethode zur Bestimmung von Tritium, Radiokohlenstoff und Radioschwefel in beliebigem organischem Probenmaterial mittels des Flüssigkeits-Scintillations-Zählers. Helvetica Chimica Acta. 44, 19561966.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemp, P., Jordan, D. J. & Orpin, C. G. (1985). The freeand protein-amino acids of rumen phycomycete fungi Neocallimastix frontalisand Piromonas communis. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 105, 523526.Google Scholar
Lowry, D. H., Rosebrough, H. J., Farr, A. L. & Randall, R. J. (1951). Protein measurement with the folin-phenol reagent. Journal of Biological Chemistry 193, 265275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mason, V. C., Bech-Anderson, S. & Rudemo, M. (1980). Hydrolysate preparation for amino acid determinations in feed constituents. 3rd symposium on protein metabolism and nutrition, European Association for Animal Production. Braunschweig, Vol. 1, 351355 (Publication, Eaap, No. 27) German Federal Republic.Google Scholar
Orpin, C. G. (1977). The occurrence of chitin in the cell walls of the rumen organism Neocallimastix frontalis, Piromonas communis and Sphaeromonas communis. Journal of General Microbiology 99, 215218.Google Scholar
Orpin, C. G. (1983). The role of ciliate protozoa and fungi in the rumen digestion of plant cell walls. Animal Feed Science and Technology 10, 121143.Google Scholar
Storm, E., Brown, D. S. & Ørskov, E. R. (1983). The nutritive value of rumen micro-organisms in ruminants. British Journal of Nutrition 50, 479485.Google Scholar
Williams, A. G. (1986). Rumen holotrich protozoa. Microbiological Reviews 50, 2549.Google Scholar