Lacrimispora brassicae sp. nov. isolated from fermented cabbage, and proposal of Clostridium indicum Gundawar et al. 2019 and Clostridium methoxybenzovorans Mechichi et al. 1999 as heterotypic synonyms of Lacrimispora amygdalina (Parshina et al. 2003) Haas and Blanchard 2020 and Lacrimispora indolis (McClung and McCoy 1957) Haas and Blanchard 2020, respectively.

A Gram-stain-negative, endospore-forming, rod-shaped, indole-producing bacterial strain, designated YZC6T, was isolated from fermented cabbage. Strain YZC6T grew at 10-37  °C, pH 5.5-8.5, and with up to 2  % (w/v) NaCl. The major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 and C18 : 1 cis 11 dimethyl acetal. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that strain YZC6T belonged to the genus Lacrimispora and was closely related to Lacrimispora aerotolerans DSM 5434T (98.3  % sequence similarity), Lacrimispora saccharolytica WM1T (98.1  %), and Lacrimispora algidixylanolytica SPL73T (98.1  %). The average nucleotide identity based on blast (below 87.8  %) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (below 36.1 %) values between the novel isolate and its corresponding relatives showed that strain YZC6T could be readily distinguished from its closely related species. Based on genotypic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic data, a novel Lacrimispora species, Lacrimispora brassicae sp. nov., was proposed, with YZC6T as the type strain (=MAFF 212518T=JCM 32810T=DSM 112100T). This study also proposed Clostridium indicum Gundawar et al. 2019 as a later heterotypic synonym of Lacrimispora amygdalina (Parshina et al. 2003) Haas and Blanchard 2020 and Clostridium methoxybenzovorans Mechichi et al. 1999 as a later heterotypic synonym of Lacrimispora indolis (McClung and McCpy 1957) Haas and Blanchard 2020.

Effects of fermentative quality of corn silage on lactation, blood metabolites, and rumen fermentation in dairy cows.

We investigated the effect of fermentation quality of corn silage on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, ruminal fermentation, methane (CH4 ) emissions, and plasma metabolites in lactating cows. Six lactating Holstein cows were used in a 2 × 2 crossover design with two dietary treatments containing high quality corn silage with lower pH (high group) or low quality corn silage with higher pH (low group). The cows were fed partial mixed ration (PMR containing 50%DM of each corn silage) ad libitum plus 0.7 kg/day of concentrates at milking. The DMI of cows in the low group (24.8 kg/day) tended to be lower (p < 0.10) than that in the high group (26.8 kg/day). The dietary treatment did not affect milk yield or milk fat, protein, or lactose concentrations. The ruminal acetic acid proportion of the low group was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the high group. The CH4 emission per DMI of the low group tended to be higher (p < 0.10) than that of the high group. The plasma concentration of the total cholesterol (TCHO) and the activity of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase of the low group were significantly higher than those of the high group.

Clostridium folliculivorans sp. nov., isolated from soil samples of an organic paddy in Japan.

Two Gram-stain-negative, terminal endospore-forming, rod-shaped and aerotolerant bacterial strains designated D1-1T and B3 were isolated from soil samples of an organic paddy in Japan. Strain D1-1T grew at 15-37 °C, pH 5.0-7.3, and with up to 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that strain D1-1T belonged to the genus Clostridium and was closely related to Clostridium zeae CSC2T (99.7 % sequence similarity), Clostridium fungisolvens TW1T (99.7 %) and Clostridium manihotivorum CT4T (99.3 %). Strains D1-1T and B3 were whole-genome sequenced and indistinguishable, with an average nucleotide identity value of 99.7 %. The average nucleotide identity (below 91.1 %) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (below 43.6 %) values between the two novel isolates and their corresponding relatives showed that strains D1-1T and B3 could be readily distinguished from their closely related species. A novel Clostridium species, Clostridium folliculivorans sp. nov., with type strain D1-1T (=MAFF 212477T=DSM 113523T), is proposed based on genotypic and phenotypic data.

Measurement of Volatile Fatty Acids in Silage through Odors with Nanomechanical Sensors.

The measurement of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) is of great importance in the fields of food and agriculture. There are various methods to measure VFAs, but most methods require specific equipment, making on-site measurements difficult. In this work, we demonstrate the measurements of VFAs in a model sample, silage, through its vapor using an array of nanomechanical sensors-Membrane-type Surface stress Sensors (MSS). Focusing on relatively slow desorption behaviors of VFAs predicted with the sorption kinetics of nanomechanical sensing and the dissociation nature of VFAs, the VFAs can be efficiently measured by using features extracted from the decay curves of the sensing response, resulting in sufficient discrimination of the silage samples. Since the present sensing system does not require expensive, bulky setup and pre-treatment of samples, it has a great potential for practical applications including on-site measurements.

A novel species of lactic acid bacteria, Ligilactobacillus pabuli sp. nov., isolated from alfalfa silage.

In this study, we isolated a novel strain of lactic acid bacteria, AF129T, from alfalfa silage prepared locally in Morioka, Iwate, Japan. Polyphasic taxonomy was used to characterize the bacterial strain. The bacterium was rod-shaped, Gram-stain-positive, non-spore-forming and catalase-negative. The strain grew at various temperatures (15-40°C) and pH levels (4.0-8.0). The optimum growth conditions were a temperature of 30°C and a pH of 6.0. AF129T exhibited growth at salt (NaCl) concentrations of up to 6.5 % (w/v). The G+C content of the strain's genomic DNA was 41.5 %. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, C18 : 1ω9c, C19 : 0cyclo ω8c and summed feature 8. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that AF129T represents a member of the genus Ligilactobacillus and it has higher sequence similarities with Ligilactobacillus pobuzihii (98.4 %), Ligilactobacillus acidipiscis (97.5 %) and Ligilactobacillus salitolerans (97.4 %). The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values for AF129T and phylogenetically related species of the genus Ligilactobacillus ranged from 19.8% to 24.1%. The average nucleotide identity of the strain with its closely related taxa was lower than the threshold (95 %-96 %) used for species differentiation. In the light of the above-mentioned physiological, genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic evidence, we confirm that AF129T represents a member of the genus Ligilactobacillus and constitutes a novel species; we propose the name Ligilactobacillus pabuli sp. nov. for this species. The type strain is AF129T =MAFF 518002T =JCM 34518T=BCRC 81335T.

Bile Salt Hydrolase Degrades ß-Lactam Antibiotics and Confers Antibiotic Resistance on Lactobacillus paragasseri.

Bile salt hydrolase (BSH) is a well-characterized probiotic enzyme associated with bile detoxification and colonization of lactic acid bacteria in the human gastrointestinal tract. Here, we isolated a putative BSH (LpBSH) from the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus paragasseri JCM 5343T and demonstrated its bifunctional activity that allows it to degrade not only bile salts but also the antibiotic (penicillin). Although antibiotic resistance and bile detoxification have been separately recognized as different microbial functions, our findings suggest that bifunctional BSHs simultaneously confer ecological advantages to host gut bacteria to improve their survival in the mammalian intestine by attaining a high resistance to bile salts and ß-lactams. Strain JCM 5343T showed resistance to both bile salts and ß-lactam antibiotics, suggesting that LpBSH may be involved in this multi-resistance of the strain. We further verified that such bifunctional enzymes were broadly distributed among the phylogeny, suggesting that the bifunctionality may be conserved in other BSHs of gut bacteria. This study revealed the physiological role and phylogenetic diversity of bifunctional enzymes degrading bile salts and ß-lactams in gut bacteria. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the hitherto-overlooked penicillin-degrading activity of penicillin acylase could be a potential new target for the probiotic function of gut bacteria.

Isolation of a Highly Thermostable Bile Salt Hydrolase With Broad Substrate Specificity From Lactobacillus paragasseri.

Bile salt hydrolase (BSH) enzymes produced by intestinal Lactobacillus species have been recognized as major targets for probiotic studies owing to their weight-loss and cholesterol-lowering effects. In this study, we isolated a highly thermostable BSH with broad substrate specificity, designed as LapBSH (BSH from a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus paragasseri JCM 5343 T ). The recombinant LapBSH protein clearly hydrolyzed 12 different substrates, including primary/secondary, major/minor, and taurine/glycine-conjugated bile salts in mammalian digestive tracts. Intriguingly, LapBSH further displayed a highly thermostable ability among all characterized BSH enzymes. Indeed, this enzyme retained above 80% of its optimum BSH activity even after 6 h of incubation at 50-90°C. LapBSH also exerted a functionally stable activity and maintained above 85% of its original activity after pre-heating at 85°C for 2 h. Therefore, LapBSH is a very unique probiotic enzyme with broad substrate specificity and high thermostability. The strain itself, JCM 5343T, was also found to exhibit high heat-resistance ability and could form colonies even after exposure to 85°C for 2 h. As thermostable enzyme/bacterium offers industrial and biotechnological advantages in terms of its productivity and stability improvements, both thermostable LapBSH and thermotolerant L. paragasseri JCM 5343T could be promising candidates for future probiotic research.

Lentilactobacillus fungorum sp. nov., isolated from spent mushroom substrates.

In Japan, during a screening of lactic acid bacteria in spent mushroom substrates, an unknown bacterium was isolated and could not be assigned to any known species. Strain YK48GT is Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming and catalase-negative. The isolate grew in 0-4 % (w/v) NaCl, at 15-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and at pH 4.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 6.0). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain YK48GT was 42.5 mol%. Based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain YK48GT represented a member of the genus Lentilactobacillus and showed the highest pairwise similarity to Lentilactobacillus rapi DSM 19907T (97.86 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on amino acid sequences of 466 shared protein-encoding genes also revealed that the strain was phylogenetically positioned in the genus Lentilactobacillus but did not suggest an affiliation with previously described species. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain YK48GT and the type strains of phylogenetically related species were 72.2-76.6% and 19.0-21.2 %, respectively, indicating that strain YK48GT represents a novel species within the genus Lentilactobacillus. Phenotypic data further confirmed the differentiation of strain YK48GT from other members of the genus Lentilactobacillus. According to the results of the polyphasic characterization presented in this study, strain YK48GT represents a novel species of the genus Lentilactobacillus, for which the name Lentilactobacillus fungorum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YK48GT (=JCM 32598T=DSM 107968T).

Clostridium zeae sp. nov., isolated from corn silage.

A rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative, strictly anaerobic, catalase-negative and endospore-forming bacterial strain CSC2T was isolated from corn silage preserved in Tochigi, Japan. The strain CSC2T grew at 15-40 °C, at pH 5.0-7.7 and with up to 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. The main cellular fatty acids were C14 : 0, C16 : 0 and C16 : 0 dimethyl acetal. The cellular polar lipids detected were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, lysophosphatidylcholine and two unidentified polar lipids. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that strain CSC2T was a member of the genus Clostridium and closely related to Clostridium polyendosporum DSM 57272T (95.6 % gene sequence similarity) and Clostridium fallax ATCC 19400T (95.3 %). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain CSC2T was 31.1 mol% (whole genome analysis). The average nucleotide identity based on blast and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain CSC2T and the type strains of phylogenetically related species were below 71 and 24 %, respectively. On the basis of the genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, it is proposed to designate strain CSC2T as representing Clostridium zeae sp. nov. The type strain is CSC2T (=MAFF212476T=JCM 33766T=DSM 111242T).

Taxonomic status of the species Clostridium methoxybenzovorans Mechichi et al. 1999.

The taxonomic status of the species Clostridium methoxybenzovorans was assessed. The 16S rRNA gene sequence, whole-genome sequence and phenotypic characterizations suggested that the type strain deposited in the American Type Culture Collection (C. methoxybenzovorans ATCC 700855T) is a member of the species Eubacterium callanderi. Hence, C. methoxybenzovorans ATCC 700855T cannot be used as a reference for taxonomic study. The type strain deposited in the German Collection of Microorganism and Cell Cultures GmbH (DSM 12182T) is no longer listed in its online catalogue. Also, both the 16S rRNA gene and the whole-genome sequences of the original strain SR3T showed high sequence identity with those of Lacrimispora indolis (recently reclassified from Clostridium indolis) as the most closely related species. Analysis of the two genomes showed average nucleotide identity based on blast and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of 98.3 and 87.9 %, respectively. Based on these results, C. methoxybenzovorans SR3T was considered to be a member of L. indolis.

Lactobacillus corticis sp. nov., isolated from hardwood bark.

During a study on the biodiversity of bacteria that inhabit woody biomass, we isolated a strain coded B40T from hardwood bark used as a compost ingredient in Japan. The strain, characterized as B40T, is a Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming and catalase-negative bacterium. This novel isolate showed growth at 30-50 °C, at pH 3.5-7.5 and in the presence of up to 4 % (w/v) NaCl. Its major fatty acids include C16:0, C18:1 ω9c and summed feature 8. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain B40T is 42.2 mol%. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain B40T belongs to the genus Lactobacillus and the closest neighbours of strain B40T are Lactobacillus gigeriorum 202T (95.7 %), Lactobacillus pasteurii CRBIP 24.76T (95.6 %), Lactobacillus psittaci DSM 15354T (95.4 %), Lactobacillus fornicalis TV1018T (95.4 %) and Lactobacillus jensenii ATCC 25258T (95.2 %). The amino acid sequence-based phylogenetic analyses of 489 shared protein-encoding genes showed that the strain forms a phylogenetically independent lineage in the genus Lactobacillus but could not be assigned to any known species. Strain B40T has an average nucleotide identify of <70.2 % and a digital DNA-DNA hybridization value of 19.2 % compared with the strains of other closely related Lactobacillus species. Differential genomic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties, in addition to phylogenetic analyses, indicated that strain B40T represents a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillus corticis sp. nov. is proposed. The strain type is B40T (=JCM 32597T=DSM 107967T).

Lactobacillus buchneri subsp. silagei subsp. nov., isolated from rice grain silage.

Two Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming, catalase-negative bacteria, designated strains SG162T and NK01, were isolated from Japanese rice grain silage and total mixed ration silage, respectively. They were initially identified as Lactobacillus buchneri based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities. However, the two strains were separated into a distinct clade from L. buchneri DSM 20057T (=JCM 1115T) through whole-genome sequence-based characterization, forming an infraspecific subgroup together with strains CD034 and S42, whose genomic sequences were available in the public sequence database. Strains within the subgroup shared 99.4-99.7 % average nucleotide identity (ANI) and 97.5-99.0 % digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) with each other, albeit 96.9-97.0 % ANI and 76.0-76.6 % dDDH against DSM 20057T. Strains SG162T and NK01 could utilize more substrates as sole carbon sources than DSM 20057T, potentially owing to the abundance of genes involved in carbon metabolism, especially the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. The inability of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production was evidenced by the lack of glutamate decarboxylase and glutamate/GABA antiporter genes in the new subgroup strains. Strain SG162T grew at 10-45 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 3.5-8.0, and 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl. Its genomic DNA G+C content was 44.1 mol%. The predominant fatty acids were C16 : 0, C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c, and summed feature 8. On the basis of the polyphasic characterization findings, strains SG162T and NK01 represent a novel subspecies of L. buchneri, for which the name Lactobacillus buchneri subsp. silagei subsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SG162T (=JCM 32599T=DSM 107969T), and strains CD034 and S42 are also transferred to L. buchneri subsp. silagei.

Reclassification of Clostridium diolis Biebl and Spröer 2003 as a later heterotypic synonym of Clostridium beijerinckii Donker 1926 (Approved Lists 1980) emend. Keis et al. 2001.

Clostridium diolis shares high similarity based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and fatty acid composition with Clostridium beijerinckii. In this study, the taxonomic status of C. diolis was clarified using genomic and phenotypic approaches. High similarity was detected among C. diolis DSM 15410T, C. beijerinckii DSM 791T and NCTC 13035T, showing average nucleotide identity on blast and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values over 97 and 85 %, respectively. Results of investigations for substrate utilization and enzyme activity displayed no striking differences between C. diolis DSM 15410T and C. beijerinckii JCM 1390T. Based on the results, we propose the reclassification of Clostridium diolis as a later heterotypic synonym of Clostridium beijerinckii. The type strain is ATCC 25752T (=CIP 104308T=DSM 791T=JCM 1390T=LMG 5716T=NCTC 13035T).

Paraimmunobiotic Bifidobacteria Modulate the Expression Patterns of Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins in Porcine Intestinal Epitheliocytes and Antigen Presenting Cells.

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGLYRPs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that are able to induce innate immune responses through their binding to peptidoglycan (PGN), lipopolysaccharide, or lipoteichoic acid, or by interacting with other PRR-ligands. Recently, progress has been made in understanding the immunobiology of PGLYRPs in human and mice, however, their functions in livestock animals have been less explored. In this study, we characterized the expression patterns of PGLYRPs in porcine intestinal epithelial (PIE) cells and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and their modulation by the interactions of host cells with PRR-ligands and non-viable immunomodulatory probiotics referred to as paraimmunobiotics. We demonstrated that PGLYRP-1, -2, -3, and -4 are expressed in PIE cells and APCs from Peyer's patches, being PGLYPR-3 and -4 levels higher than PGLYRP-1 and -2. We also showed that PGLYRPs expression in APCs and PIE cells can be modulated by different PRR agonists. By using knockdown PIE cells for TLR2, TLR4, NOD1, and NOD2, or the four PGLYRPs, we demonstrated that PGLYRPs expressions would be required for activation and functioning of TLR2, TLR4, NOD1, and NOD2 in porcine epitheliocytes, but PGLYRPs activation would be independent of those PRR expressions. Importantly, we reported for the first time that PGLYRPs expression can be differentially modulated by paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria in a strain-dependent manner. These results provide evidence for the use of paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria as an alternative for the improvement of resistance to intestinal infections or as therapeutic tools for the reduction of the severity of inflammatory damage in diseases in which a role of PGLYRPs-microbe interaction has been demonstrated.

Effects of rice conservation methods on lactation, blood metabolites, and rumen fermentation in dairy cows.

We investigated the effect of rice grain conservation methods on feed intake, milk production, blood metabolites, and rumen fermentation in dairy cows. Raw rice grain was dried before crushing (DRY), ensiled after crushing (ENS-A), or ensiled before crushing (ENS-B). Twelve multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with three dietary treatments comprising ad libitum access to one of three total mixed rations (TMRs; containing DRY, ENS-A, or ENS-B at 17% of dietary dry matter) plus a standard allowance of 2.0 kg/day of dairy concentrates. The dietary treatments did not affect the feed intake, milk yield, or milk composition. The selected blood constituents were not influenced by the rice conservation method. The ruminal lactic acid and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations and the VFA proportion in the cows were not influenced by the rice conservation method. These results demonstrate that the rice grain conservation method has little impact on lactation performance when cows are fed a TMR containing 17% treated rice grain (dry matter basis).

Lactobacillus salitolerans sp. nov., a novel lactic acid bacterium isolated from spent mushroom substrates.

A taxonomic study of a Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming, catalase-negative bacterium, strain YK43T, isolated from spent mushroom substrates stored in Nagano, Japan was performed. Growth was detected at 15-45 °C, pH 5.0-8.5, and 0-10 % (w/v) NaCl. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain YK43T was 43.6 mol%. The predominant fatty acids were C16 : 0, C18 : 1 ω9c and summed feature 8. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the type strains of Lactobacillus acidipiscis (sequence similarity, 97.6 %) and Lactobacillus pobuzihii (97.4 %) were most closely related to YK43T. The average nucleotide identities were 74.1 % between strain YK43T and L. acidipiscis DSM 15836T and 74.0 % between YK43T and L. pobuzihii E100301T. Based on a multilocus sequence analysis, comparative genomic analysis and a range of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain YK43T represents a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillussalitolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YK43T (=JCM 31331T = DSM 103433T).

Reclassification of Paenibacillus thermophilus Zhou et al. 2013 as a later heterotypic synonym of Paenibacillus macerans (Schardinger 1905) Ash et al. 1994.

The taxonomic status of Paenibacillus thermophilus was analyzed using genomic and phenotypic approaches. The results of RNA polymerase beta subunit gene sequence comparisons indicated that two type strains of P. thermophilus (DSM 24746T and JCM 17693T) and Paenibacillus macerans ATCC 8244T shared 100 % sequence similarity. By whole-genome sequence comparison, their average nucleotide identity values were over 99.3 %. Investigation of substrate utilization, enzyme activities and cellular fatty acid patterns displayed no striking differences between P. thermophilus JCM 17693T and P. macerans JCM 2500T. On the basis of these results, we propose that the name Paenibacillus thermophilus is a later heterotypic synonym of Paenibacillus macerans.

Lactobacillus paragasseri sp. nov., a sister taxon of Lactobacillus gasseri, based on whole-genome sequence analyses.

Three strains, JCM 5343T, JCM 5344 and JCM 1130, currently identified as Lactobacillus gasseri, were investigated using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Although these strains shared high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with L. gasseri ATCC 33323T (99.9 %), they formed a clade clearly distinct from ATCC 33323T based on whole-genome relatedness. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values of these three strains compared to L. gasseri ATCC 33323T were 93.4-93.7 and 53.1-54.1 %, respectively, and both were less than the widely accepted threshold to distinguish two species (95 and 70 %, respectively). The three strains were Gram-stain positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, catalase-negative and rod-shaped bacteria. They grew at 25-45 °C and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids of the three strains were C16 : 0 and C18 : 1 ω9c. Based on phylogenetic analyses of the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase alpha subunit and RNA polymerase alpha subunit genes, and on phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strains JCM 5343T, JCM 5344 and JCM 1130 represent a novel species distinct from L. gasseri, for which we propose the name Lactobacillusparagasseri sp. nov. In addition, a large portion of genomes currently labelled as L. gasseri in the public sequence database should be reclassified as L. paragasseri based on whole-genome relatedness.

Effect of different methods for conserving rice grain on in situ ruminal degradation and in vivo nutrient digestion and rumen fermentation in steers.

We investigated the effects of different rice conservation techniques on in situ ruminal degradation and in vivo nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation in steers. Raw rice grain was dried before crushing (DRY), ensiled after crushing (ENS-A), or ensiled before crushing (ENS-B). Six ruminally cannulated steers were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with three dietary treatments: diets containing DRY, ENS-A, or ENS-B at 36% of the dietary dry matter. The in situ rapidly degradable fraction and effective ruminal degradability were higher for ensiled rice than for DRY, and higher for ENS-A than for ENS-B. The ruminal pH was lower and the lactic acid and total volatile acid concentrations were higher for the steers fed ensiled rice than those fed the DRY diet, but a treatment effect was not observed in the comparison between ENS-A and ENS-B. The whole-tract digestibility of crude protein and ether extract was improved when the rice grain was ensiled, but there were no differences in nutrient digestibility between ensiling methods. These results show that ensiling treatment can be a strategy to improve the nutrient value of rice grain, but the ensiling method has little impact on in vivo digestion.

Q969R polymorphism in NLRP3 is associated with immune responses to vaccination against bacterial infections in pigs.

Nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin-domain containing-3 (NLRP3) is an important pattern recognition receptor involved in various inflammatory responses and adjuvant effects upon vaccination. We previously identified the Q969R (A2906G) gain-of-function polymorphism in porcine NLRP3, which increased production of interleukin-1ß in in vitro gene transfection experiments. Here, we explored the associations between the A2906G polymorphism and antibody responses after vaccination against bacteria in Large White pigs maintained under specific pathogen-free conditions. The NLRP3-2906A/G pigs had a greater antibody response to vaccine antigens than NLRP3-2906A/A pigs. We observed a significant association of the antibody response against Haemophilus parasuis serotype 2 and 5 with NLRP3 genotypes. As the A2906G polymorphism in NLRP3 is widely distributed in commercial pig breeds, Landrace, Large White and Berkshire pigs, there is potential for improvement in vaccine efficiency and disease resistance using this polymorphism in various pig populations.