Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Dietary proteins are digested in the small intestine to free amino acids and small peptides that are taken up into the absorptive cells of the gut.  The small peptides (two or three amino acids long) are then further broken down in the cell for transport into the blood.  It is possible that uptake of short peptides (as opposed to free amino acids) from the intestinal lumen is responsible for a significant amount of the absorption of dietary amino acids from proteins.  However, very little is known about the nutritional importance of this system in the young pig.  Studies from rodent models have demonstrated that when the gut is stressed, such as during fasting or infection, the uptake of short peptides is preserved while absorption of free amino acids declines. It is common practice to add free amino acids to pig diets to ensure that all amino acids are available for optimal growth and muscle deposition, which may actually inhibit dipeptide uptake. Furthermore, the addition of short peptides to the diet seems to stimulate even greater uptake. This research program aims to describe some of the factors that influence peptide uptake in the young pig.  The resulting information may contribute to the development of diets that will enhance pig growth with a concomitant reduction in nitrogen waste products from pork production facilities.