The musk chemical composition and microbiota of Chinese forest musk deer males.

Diyan Li,Zhongxian Xu,Tianyuan Ma,Binlong Chen,Hang Jie,Huailiang Xu,Ting Lian,Long Zhang,Jessica Satkoski Trask,Yongfang Yao,Deying Yang,Uma Gaur,Qing Zhu,Nan Wu,Xiaolan Fan,Mingyao Yang,Guijun Zhao

doi:10.1038/srep18975

Abstract

Male musk deer secrete musk from the musk gland located between their naval and genitals. Unmated male forest musk deer generate a greater amount of musk than mated males, potentially allowing them to attract a greater number of females. In this study, we used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to explore musk chemical composition of the musk pods of captive mated and unmated sexually mature Chinese forest musk deer and used next-generation sequencing to intensively survey the bacterial communities within them. Analysis of the chemical composition of the musk showed that unmated males have more muscone and cholesterol. Features of the musk16S rRNA gene showed that mated Chinese forest musk deer have both a greater Shannon diversity (p < 0.01) and a greater number of estimated operational taxonomic units than unmated ones; many bacterial genera were overrepresented in unmated Chinese forest musk deer males. Members of these genera might be involved in musk odor fermentation. PICRUSt analysis revealed that metabolic pathways such as aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption, metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and isoflavonoid biosynthesis were enriched in the musk of unmated Chinese forest musk deer males.

Highlights

Next-generation sequencing to characterize and compare the bacterial communities in the musk pods of mated and unmated Chinese forest musk deer males (Moschus berezovskii Flerov)
The primary biological significance of the musk gland secretion is to attract the females to males during the rutting season and to mark territory[7]
In this study we found that these unmated Chinese forest musk deer males secrete more musk than mated ones

Summary

Introduction

Next-generation sequencing to characterize and compare the bacterial communities in the musk pods of mated and unmated Chinese forest musk deer males (Moschus berezovskii Flerov). Musk chemical composition of mated and unmated males. After rapid conventional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the abundances of the main chemical constituents of the musk samples of mated and unmated Chinese forest musk deer males were determined (Fig. 1, Table 1 and Table S2).

Results

Conclusion