Gene and transcript abundances of bacterial type III secretion systems from the rumen microbiome are correlated with methane yield in sheep.

This is the first report of bacterial type III secretion system genes being associated with high methane emissions in ruminants, and identifies these secretions systems as potential new targets for methane mitigation research. The effects of S. dextrinosolvens on the growth of rumen methanogens in co-cultures indicate that bacteria-methanogen interactions are important modulators of methane production in ruminant animals.