Characterisation of the main drivers of intra- and inter- breed variability in the plasma metabolome of dogs.

Amanda J. Lloyd,Wendy Y. Brown,Manfred Beckmann,Kathleen Tailliart,David Allaway,John Draper

doi:10.1007/s11306-016-0997-6

Abstract

IntroductionDog breeds are a consequence of artificial selection for specific attributes. These closed genetic populations have metabolic and physiological characteristics that may be revealed by metabolomic analysis.ObjectivesTo identify and characterise the drivers of metabolic differences in the fasted plasma metabolome and then determine metabolites differentiating breeds.MethodsFasted plasma samples were collected from dogs maintained under two environmental conditions (controlled and client-owned at home). The former (n = 33) consisted of three breeds (Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel and Miniature Schnauzer) fed a single diet batch, the latter (n = 96), client-owned dogs consisted of 9 breeds (Beagle, Chihuahua, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, Golden Retriever, Greyhound, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Maltese) consuming various diets under differing feeding regimens. Triplicate samples were taken from Beagle (n = 10) and Labrador Retriever (n = 9) over 3 months. Non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting was performed using flow infusion electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry which was coupled with multivariate data analysis. Metadata factors including age, gender, sexual status, weight, diet and breed were investigated.ResultsBreed differences were identified in the plasma metabolome of dogs housed in a controlled environment. Triplicate samples from two breeds identified intra-individual variability, yet breed separation was still observed. The main drivers of variance in dogs maintained in the home environment were associated with breed and gender. Furthermore, metabolite signals were identified that discriminated between Labrador Retriever and Cocker Spaniels in both environments.ConclusionMetabolite fingerprinting of plasma samples can be used to investigate breed differences in client-owned dogs, despite added variance of diet, sexual status and environment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11306-016-0997-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Dog breeds are a consequence of artificial selection for specific attributes
Breed differences were identified in the plasma metabolome of dogs housed in a controlled environment
Metabolite fingerprinting of plasma samples can be used to investigate breed differences in clientowned dogs, despite added variance of diet, sexual status and environment

Summary

Introduction

Dog breeds are a consequence of artificial selection for specific attributes. These closed genetic populations have metabolic and physiological characteristics that may be revealed by metabolomic analysis. As a consequence of selective breeding for novel and desirable traits the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) exhibits characteristic diversity in morphology, physiology and behaviour (Belyaev 1979; Wayne 2001). This led to the formation of distinct functional classes such as herding, hunting and guarding. The process of metabolite fingerprinting is based on hypothesis-free, non-targeted and unbiased measurements (Draper et al 2013; Fuhrer and Zamboni 2015) These often provide only relative quantification and aim to detect as many components in the sample as possible. One of the strengths of this type of data-driven approach is that it enables investigations of complex, nonlinear, interactive multivariate systems which are difficult to control or where no clear hypothesis exists (Kell and Oliver 2004)

Objectives

Methods

Results