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Journal of Animal Science and Technology
Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology

J Anim Sci Technol

pISSN: 2055-0391, eISSN: 2672-0191

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5187/jast.2022.e124

Article

Molecular characterization and functionality of rumen-derived extracellular vesicles using a Caenorhabditis elegans animal model

Hyejin Choi1, Daye Mun1, Sangdon Ryu1, Min-jin Kwak1, Bum-Keun Kim2, Dong-Jun Park2, Sangnam Oh3, Younghoon Kim1,*
1Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
2Korea Food Research Institute, Wanju 55365, Korea.
3Department of Functional Food and Biotechnology, Jeonju University, Jeonju 55069, Korea.
*Corresponding Author: Younghoon Kim, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea, Republic of. Phone: 028804808. E-mail: ykeys2584@snu.ac.kr.

© Copyright 2022 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Dec 01, 2022; Revised: Dec 16, 2022; Accepted: Dec 18, 2022

Published Online: Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

The rumen fluids contain a wide range of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses. The various ruminal microorganisms in the rumen provide nutrients by fermenting the forage they eat. During metabolic processes, microorganisms present in the rumen release diverse vesicles during the fermentation process. Therefore, in this study, we confirmed the function of rumen extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their interaction with the host. We confirmed the structure of the rumen EVs by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and the size of the particles using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Rumen EVs range in size from 100 nm to 400 nm and are composed of microvesicles, microparticles, and ectosomes. Using the <italic>Caenorhabditis elegans</italic> smart animal model, we verified the interaction between the host and rumen EVs. Exposure of <italic>C. elegans</italic> to rumen EVs did not significantly enhance longevity, whereas exposure to the pathogenic bacteria <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> O157:H7 and <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> significantly increased lifespan. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis showed gene expression alterations in <italic>C. elegans </italic>exposed to rumen EVs, with significant changes in the metabolic pathway, fatty acid degradation, and biosynthesis of cofactors. Our study describes the effect of rumen EV interactions with the host and provides novel insights for discovering biotherapeutic agents in the animal industry.

Keywords: Ruminal fluids; extracellular vesicles; biotherapeutic agents; C. elegans