Seaweeds, including the green Ulva lactuca, can potentially reduce competition between feed,
food, and fuel. They can also contribute to the improved development of weaned piglets. However,
their indigestible polysaccharides of the cell wall pose a challenge. This can be addressed through
carbohydrase supplementation, such as the recombinant ulvan lyase. The objective of our study was
to assess the muscle metabolism of weaned piglets fed with 7% U. lactuca and 0.01% ulvan lyase
supplementation, using an integrated transcriptomics (RNA-seq) and proteomics (LC–MS) approach.
Feeding piglets with seaweed and enzyme supplementation resulted in reduced macronutrient
availability, leading to protein degradation through the proteasome (PSMD2), with resulting amino
acids being utilized as an energy source (GOT2, IDH3B). Moreover, mineral element accumulation
may have contributed to increased oxidative stress, evident from elevated levels of antioxidant
proteins like catalase, as a response to maintaining tissue homeostasis. The upregulation of the gene
AQP7, associated with the osmotic stress response, further supports these findings. Consequently, an
increase in chaperone activity, including HSP90, was required to repair damaged proteins. Our results
suggest that enzymatic supplementation may exacerbate the effects observed from feeding U. lactuca
alone, potentially due to side effects of cell wall degradation during digestion.