Michael Oster

Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology

Background: In broiler chickens, the efficient utilization of macro- and micronutrients is influenced by various metabolic pathways that are closely linked to feed efficiency (FE), a critical metric in poultry industry, with residual feed intake (RFI) as the preferred proxy. Feed restriction is considered an approach to address the underlying molec...

Phosphorus (P) is an essential mineral for all forms of life including laying hens, playing a crucial role in growth and efficient egg production. Recent studies suggest that current P recommendations might exceed the physiological demand, leading to unnecessarily high P excretions. This study on Lohmann Brown (LB) and Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL...

The objectives of this study were to investigate whether an increased dietary myo-inositol (MI) supply translates into changes in MI concentrations and endogenous mucosal phosphatase activities in the intestine of laying hens and whether different laying hen strains respond differently to MI supplementation. The diets were corn–soybean meal-based a...

The objective of this study was to characterize intestinal phytate degradation and mineral utilization by 2 laying hen strains before and after the onset of egg laying using diets without or with a mineral phosphorus (P) supplement. One offspring of 10 roosters per strain (Lohmann Brown-classic [LB] and Lohmann LSL-classic [LSL]) was sacrificed bef...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes, or chondrocytes, show evidence that the donor cell’s metabolic type influences the osteogenic process. Limited knowledge exists on DNA methylation changes during osteogenic differentiation and the impact of diverse donor genetic backgrounds on MSC differe...

Background Unraveling the intricate and tightly regulated process of adipogenesis, involving coordinated activation of transcription factors and signaling pathways, is essential for addressing obesity and related metabolic disorders. The molecular pathways recruited by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) during adipogenesis are also dependent on the diff...

Milk urea (MU) concentration is proposed as an indicator trait for breeding toward reduced nitrogen (N) emissions and leaching in dairy. We selected 20 German Holstein cows based on MU breeding values, with 10 cows each having low (LMUg) and high (HMUg) MU genetic predisposition. Using RNA-seq, we characterized these cows to unravel molecular pathw...

In the currently prevailing pig husbandry systems, the vitamin D status is almost exclusively dependent on dietary supply. Additional endogenous vitamin D production after exposure to ultraviolet-B (UVB) light might allow the animals to utilize minerals in a more efficient manner, as well as enable the production of functional vitamin D-enriched me...

Synovial membrane mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) often serve as in vitro model for bone disease, but the molecular mechanisms driving osteogenesis in SMSCs from different donor cells of various sources and breeds remain unclear. In this study, porcine SMSCs isolated from adipose synovium (FP) and fibrous synovium (FS) of Angeln Saddleback (AS) and...

Simple Summary To reduce the impact of livestock on the environment, in modern rations for farm animals the concentration of relevant nutrients is aimed to be lowered. The main nutrients in focus are nitrogen and phosphorus. Because phosphorus is essential for bone development, the degree to which dietary phosphorus can be decreased is limited. The...

Recent advances in the selective breeding of broilers and layers have made poultry production one of the fastest‐growing industries. In this study, a transcriptome variant calling approach from RNA‐seq data was used to determine population diversity between broilers and layers. In total, 200 individuals were analyzed from three different chicken po...

Vitamin D3 (Vit D3) and 25(OH)D3 are used as dietary sources of active vitamin D [1,25(OH)2D3] in pig husbandry. Although acting primarily on intestine, kidney, and bone, their use in pig nutrition has shown a wide range of effects also in peripheral tissues. However, there is an ambiguity in the existing literature about whether the effects of Vit...

An improved oxygen availability in air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures of enterocytes of the small intestine seems to be primarily responsible for morphological, metabolic, and functional changes. Intestinal porcine epithelial cells 1 (IPEC-1) are less investigated and are rarely used as model for intestinal barrier but showed a profound change of...

The losses of piglets in commercial pig farming remain at concerning levels and need to be addressed through the implementation of new sustainable breeding and management strategies. In fact, piglets are especially at risk in the first days of life. Both genetics and the farrowing process have been shown to impact piglet vitality. In addition, know...

Phosphorus (P) inclusion in broiler diets needs to meet the physiological demands at a specific developmental stage to ensure the performance, health, and welfare of the birds and minimize nutrient losses. Towards a more efficient utilization of P in broiler husbandry, a timed nutritional conditioning strategy might enhance the endogenous mechanism...

Aggregation of data, including deep sequencing of mRNA and miRNA data in jejunum mucosa, abundance of immune cells, metabolites, or hormones in blood, composition of microbiota in digesta and duodenal mucosa, and production traits collected along the lifespan, provides a comprehensive picture of lifelong adaptation processes. Here, respective data...

The metabolic changes associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) particularly affect the liver, which is a central metabolic organ and contributes significantly to the provision of energy and specific nutrients and metabolites. Therefore, our aim was to decipher and elucidate the molecular pathways of developmental processes mediated by...

Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) homeostasis is maintained by several regulators, including vitamin D and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), and their tissue-specific activation and signaling cascades. In this study, the tissue-wide expression of key genes linked to vitamin D metabolism (CYP2R1, CYP27A1, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, GC, VDR) and FGF23 signal...

This study assessed the use of locally sourced sustainable feed ingredients, rapeseed meal (RSM) and maize dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets over traditional ingredients on the growth performance, bone strength and nutrient digestibility of broilers. This work also investigated the effects of supplementing exogenous phytase in tw...

Background: Impaired skeletal muscle growth in utero can result in reduced birth weight and pathogenesis of intrauterine growth restriction. Fetal and placental growth is influenced by many factors including genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. In fact, the sex and genotype of the fetus itself, as well as the mother providing it with a s...

Lohmann Brown (LB) and Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) are two commercially important laying hen strains due to their high egg production and excellent commercial suitability. The present study integrated multiple data sets along the genotype-phenotype map to better understand how the genetic background of the two strains influences their molecular...

The over-supplementation of animal feeds with phosphorus (P) within livestock-production systems leads to high rates of P excretion and thus to high P loads and losses, which negatively impact the natural environment. The addition of phytase to pig and poultry diets can contribute to reducing P excretion; however, cascading effects of phytase on pl...

The jejunum plays crucial roles for the digestion and absorption of nutrients and minerals and for barrier functions that are essential for a healthy, productive life cycle of farm animals, including laying hens. Accordingly, knowledge of the molecular pathways that emerge in the intestine during development, and particularly at the beginning of la...

Sheep play a critical role in the agricultural and livestock sector in Egypt. For sheep meat production, growth traits such as birth and weaning weights are very important and determine the supply and income of local farmers. The Barki sheep originates from the northeastern coastal zone of Africa, and due to its good adaptation to the harsh environ...

Excreted nitrogen (N) of dairy cows contribute to environmental eutrophication. The main N-excretory metabolite of dairy cows is urea, which is synthesized as a result of N-metabolization in the liver and is excreted via milk and urine. Genetic variation in milk urea (MU) has been postulated but the complex physiology behind the trait as well as th...

In smallholder agriculture, the fast-growing and perennial accumulator plant comfrey (Symphytum spp.) was used to supply pigs with protein and minerals. Comfrey leaves show similar values in dry matter as soybean or blue lupine in crude protein content, but much higher levels of calcium and phosphorus. However, in terms of increased efficiency in a...

The sensitivity of pigs to deoxynivalenol (DON) might be increased by systemic inflammation (SI), which also has consequences for hepatic integrity. Liver lesions and a dys-regulated gene network might hamper hepatic handling and elimination of DON whereby the way of initiation of hepatic inflammation might play an additional role. First and second...

Phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) are critical for egg production in laying hens. Most of P in plant-based poultry diet is bound as phytic acid and needs to be hydrolysed before absorption. To increase P bioavailability, exogenous phytases or bioavailable rock phosphate is added in feed. There is growing evidence of the importance of miRNAs as the ep...

Background Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients that are linked to a large array of biological processes. Disturbances in Ca and P homeostasis in chickens are associated with a decline in growth and egg laying performance and environmental burden due to excessive P excretion rates. Improved utilization of minerals in particular o...

Sheep milk yield and milk composition traits play an important role in supplying newborn lambs with essential components such as amino acids, energy, vitamins and immune antibodies and are also of interest in terms of the nutritional value of the milk for human consumption. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions and candidate genes f...

A sufficient supply of phosphorus (P) to pigs in livestock farming is based on the optimal use of plant-based phytate and mineral P supplements to ensure proper growth processes and bone stability. However, a high P supplementation might bear the risk of higher environmental burden due to the occurrence of excess P and phytate degradation products...

To achieve the best performance and health in farm animals, high-quality pellets should be applied for feeding. Raw materials used for pellet production can have a significant influence on the nutritive and physical characteristics of the final product. A comprehensive quality control of raw materials and pellets is therefore essential. Optical ins...

P-reduction pig feeding

Knowledge of gene expression profiles reflecting functional features and specific responsiveness of parathyroid glands (PTGs) contributes to understanding mineral homeostasis and parathyroid function in healthy and diseased conditions. The study aims to reveal effector molecules driving the maintenance of phosphorus (P) homeostasis and parathyroid...

There is growing evidence of the importance of miRNAs for intestinal functional properties and nutritional uptake. Comparative miRNAs profiles of the jejunal mucosa were established against two genetic backgrounds (Lohmann Brown-Classic (LB) and Lohmann LSL-Classic (LSL), which are similar in egg production but differ in physiological traits includ...

Improved utilization of phytates and mineral phosphorus (P) in monogastric animals contributes significantly to preserving the finite resource of mineral P and mitigating environmental pollution. In order to identify pathways and to prioritize candidate genes related to P utilization (PU), the genomic heritability of 77 and 80 trait-dependent expre...

Commercial and customized microarrays are valuable tools for the analysis of holistic expression patterns, but require the integration of the latest genomic information. This study provides a comprehensive workflow implemented in an R package (rePROBE) to assign the entire probes and to annotate the probe sets based on up-to-date genomic and transc...

Synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) have become a great cell source for musculoskeletal stem cell research, especially related to cartilage and bone tissue regeneration, due to their superior cell proliferation properties and multidifferentiation potential into various cell lineages. This study revealed isolation methods, culture conditions, an...

Laying hens require less phosphorus (P) but markedly more calcium (Ca) in their diet than broilers. These differences may cause more distinct interactions with phytate degradation and utilization of minerals in laying hens than those in broilers. The objective of the study was to characterize intestinal phytate degradation, ileal transcript copy nu...

Background: The environmental impact of pig farming need to be reduced, with phosphorus (P) being of particular interest. Specified dietary regimens and management systems contribute to meet environmental concerns and reduce economic constrains. However, pregnant and lactating sows represent vulnerable individuals, whose reproductive potential and...

Local cultivars of comfrey (Symphytum spp.) have been used to cover protein and mineral requirements of farm animals in low-input systems. Due to its known health-promoting (e.g. allantoin), but also anti-nutritive ingredients (e.g. pyrrolizidine alkaloids), multidisciplinary approaches are essential in order to quantify the nutritional value and t...

Phosphorus is an essential mineral for all living organisms and a limited resource worldwide. Variation and heritability of phosphorus utilization (PU) traits were observed, indicating the general possibility of improvement. Molecular mechanisms of PU, including host and microbial effects, are still poorly understood. The most promising molecules t...

Phosphorus (P) is an essential component for all living beings. Low P diets prompt phenotypic and molecular adaptations to maintain P homeostasis and increase P utilization (PU). Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of PU is needed to enable targeted approaches to improve PU efficiency and thus lower P excretion in animal husbandry. In a previous...

The composition of the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the digestion and utilization of nutrients and for gut health. Low-fiber diets stimulate digestion and absorption processes, predominantly in the upper region of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby increasing the conversion of feed into body weight. As a consequence, the chemic...

Sufficient supply of pigs with calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) is essential for animal health and welfare during the growth period. However, the P content in animal manure is considered as a cause of massive environmental problems in soil and aquatic ecosystems. To complement previous findings, the objective of this study is the investigation of ef...

Commercial and customized microarrays are valuable tools for the analysis of holistic expression patterns, but require the integration of the latest genomic information. This study provides a comprehensive workflow implemented in an R package (rePROBE) to assign the entire probes and to annotate the probe sets based on up-to-date genomic and transc...

The most common sheep breeds of Egypt are Ossimi, Rahmani, and Barki breeds. The latter one is well adapted to the challenging desert environment, characterized by food shortage and a high temperature fluctuation. Growth performance of Barki sheep has an important economic value in terms of minimizing the shortage of mutton meat in Egypt. Further,...

Environmental factors including maternal diet during periconception and pregnancy can immediately impact fetal growth and development and have long-term consequences on phenotypic outcomes of the offspring, a phenomenon known as “fetal programming” by which the in utero environmental cues regulate specific gene functions via epigenetic modification...

Sodium/phosphate co-transporters are considered to be important mediators of phosphorus (P) homeostasis. The expression of specific sodium/phosphate co-transporters is routinely used as an immediate response to dietary interventions in different species. However, a general understanding of their tissue-specificity is required to elucidate their par...

Blood values of calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus (IP), and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) are valuable indicators for mineral status and bone mineralization. The mineral homeostasis is maintained by absorption, retention, and excretion processes employing a number of known and unknown sensing and regulating factors with implications on immun...

Ortho-phosphate inside recirculation aquaculture systems is limited as a consequence of precipitation and regular water exchange rates. To improve plant growth in coupled aquaponics, phosphate fertilizer addition to hydroponics can increase PO 4 3−-P concentrations inside the process water. We investigated the effects of four PO 4 3−-P concentratio...

Phosphorus (P) is an important element of various metabolic and signalling processes, including bone metabolism and immune function. To elucidate the routes of P homeostasis and utilization, a five-week feeding study was conducted with weaned piglets receiving a diet with recommended amounts of P and Ca (M), or a diet with lower (L) or higher (H) P...

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a toxin found in cereals as well as in processed products such as pasta, and causes substantial economic losses for stock breeding as it induces vomiting, reduced feeding, and reduced growth rates in piglets. Oxidative phosphorylation, TCA-cycle, transcription, and translation have been hypothesized to be leading pathways th...

Phosphorus supply of pigs plays an important role in the mineralization of piglets’ bones and is frequently discussed in cases of porcine skeleton disorders. Due to the limited global phosphorus resources and the negative environmental impacts, efforts have recently been made to use phosphorus more sparingly in the feeding of piglets. Using graded...

Abstract Considerable variation in feed efficiency (FE) has been observed in indigenous and selected meat-type chicken populations. Although this variation could be partially linked to extrinsic factors like diet, housing environment and microbiota, it further illustrates the existence of strong molecular mechanisms enabling the differential alloca...

Feed efficiency (FE) is a measure of the rate between feed intake and body weight gain and is subject to constant progress in pigs, based on extensive performance tests and analyses of physiological parameters. However, endocrine regulatory circuits which comprise the sensation and perception of intrinsic requirements and appropriate systemic respo...

The innate immune system has numerous mechanisms to fight against pathogens, including the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). By spreading out chromatin, antimicrobial peptides and enzymes, neutrophils efficiently trap pathogens like bacteria and facilitate their elimination. During this process, high concentrations of extracellula...

As calcium and phosphorus are of vital importance for life, physiological activity of the parathyroid glands (PTGs) is crucial to maintain mineral homeostasis and bone mineralization. However, PTGspecific molecular routes in response to environmental factors and intrinsic hormonal responses are not yet fully understood. Since nutrient requirements,...

Since phosphorus (P) is an essential element for life, its usage and application across agricultural production systems requires great attention. Monogastric species such as pigs and poultry can significantly contribute to global food security but these animals remain highly dependent on the supply of mineral inorganic P in their feeds. Pig and pou...