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Simple Summary: In China, high-grain diets for ruminants due to forage scarcity cause metabolic disorders. Yeast culture promotes rumen health by stabilizing microbial composition and enhancing nutrition and immunity. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was mainly to investigate the effect of the addition of two different species of yeast culture on goat production performance, rumen fermentation profile, microbial balance, and immunity under high-grain conditions. The results indicated that the incorporation of yeast culture into a high-grain diet significantly enhanced the production performance of goats, augmented their immunity, and stabilized the rumen environment. However, different types of yeast cultures acted by different mechanisms. The results provide a reference for the rational application of yeast culture in production. It is a common practice among farmers to utilize high-grain diets with the intention of promoting ruminant growth. However, this approach bears the risk of inducing rumen disorders and nutrient metabolism diseases. Yeast culture (YC) showed advantages in ruminant applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding two different types of YC to high-grain conditions on production performance, rumen fermentation profile, microbial abundance, and immunity in goats. A total of 30 male goats with similar body condition were randomly distributed into 3 dietary treatments with 10 replicates per treatment as follows: basic diet group (CON); basic diet + 0.5% yeast culture 1 (YC1) group; basic diet + 0.5% yeast culture 2 (YC2) group. The trial lasted for 36 days. The results demonstrated that dietary YC supplementation led to an increase in the average daily gain and a reduction in feed intake and weight gain ratio in goats. It increased the apparent digestibility of crude protein, NDF, and ADF (p < 0.05). The serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in the control group were significantly higher than those of the YC groups (p < 0.05). The serum concentrations of Immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG in the control group were significantly lower than those in the YC groups (p < 0.05). The rumen concentration of microbial protein (MCP) in the control group was significantly lower than that in the YC groups (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the concentration of IL-10 and Bacteroidota, Spirochaetota, and Succinivibrio, while there was a positive correlation between concentrations of IL-10 and Firmicutes. Nevertheless, discrepancies were observed in the impact of the two different types of YC on the physiological and biochemical indicators of the animals. The concentration of triglyceride in the YC1 group was significantly higher than that of the CON and YC2 groups, while the concentration of urea in the YC2 group was significantly higher than that of the CON and YC1 groups (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, the addition of YC2 to the diet significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and Fibrobacterota and significantly decreased Firmicutes compared to the control. At the genus level, the addition of YC1 to the HGD significantly reduced the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, while the addition of YC2 to the HGD significantly increased the relative abundance of Prevotellace-ae_UCG-001, Fibrobacter, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 (p < 0.05). The addition of YC significantly improved growth performance, increased nutrient digestibility, beneficially manipulated ruminal fermentation and microbial diversity, and improved immune function. The choice of yeast cultures can be customized according to specific production conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Transportation is an inevitable part of the raising process of goats. During transportation, animals are subjected to 'transport stress' due to limited space, bumpy roads, lack of feed and drinking water, and other stimuli. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of how transport stress affects goats, we conducted our experimental studies. Sixteen healthy goats were selected, and these goats were transported at a speed ranging from 35 to 45 km/h for 20 h. We measured changes in the physiological indexes, blood physiological indexes, biochemical indexes, rumen fermentation indexes, and rumen microbial structure composition of goats before and after transportation. Our experimental findings revealed that continuous transportation for a duration of 20 h can induce a severe stress response in goats, leading to compromised immune function, diminished antioxidant capacity, escalated inflammatory response, and altered rumen fermentation indices. However, they did not reveal any significant impact on the structure and composition of the rumen microbiota. The objective of this experiment was to delve into the impacts of transportation on goats. Sixteen healthy goats were selected as experimental animals; these goats were transported at a speed ranging from 35 to 45 km/h for 20 h. The changes in the physiological indexes, blood physiological indexes, biochemical indexes, rumen fermentation indexes, and rumen microbial structure composition of goats before and after transportation were measured. The results showed that after transportation, the contents of IgM, IgA, IgG, and Thyroxine decreased very significantly, while the contents of propionic acid, Hemoglobin and Epinephrine significantly increased, and the contents of VFA, acetic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, LPS, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, Major Acute Phase Protein, protein carbonyl, and cortisol increased very significantly. There was no significant difference in α-diversity and β-diversity, and the relative abundance of rumen microorganisms was not significantly different at either phylum or genus levels. The experimental findings revealed that continuous transportation for a duration of 20 h can induce a severe stress response in goats, leading to compromised immune function, diminished antioxidant capacity, escalated inflammatory response, and altered rumen fermentation indices. However, the experiment did not reveal any significant impact on the structure and composition of the rumen microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: During pregnancy, especially the perinatal period, cows are often in a state of negative energy balance due to the imbalance of glucose metabolism. As the main energy substrate to promote fetal development, glucose is mainly obtained from the mother through the placenta and the provision of glucose to the fetus depends on the activity of glucose transporters distributed within the placental tissue. As the basic component of placental tissue, placental trophoblast cells participate in nutrient supply and metabolism between mother and fetus. However, a noticeable void exists in the study of the function and potential regulation mechanism of placental trophoblast cells in ruminants. In light of this, the bovine placental trophoblast cells were treated with different dose-concentration glucose and the gene expression of glucose transport carriers and enzymes related to glucose metabolism were detected. Moreover, the signaling pathway of placental-sensing energy level changes were studied to explore the mechanism of placenta mediating energy metabolism transmission between mother and fetus. The results showed that glucose regulates cellular glucose transport and metabolism by mediating the mTOR signaling pathway in bovine placental trophoblast cells. It has been confirmed that improving the energy level of the diet contributed to the greater reproductive performance and birth weight of calves in periparturient dairy cows. To investigate the effect of glucose on nutrient transport during fetal development, the bovine placental trophoblast cells (BPTCs) were cultured in media with different glucose concentrations (1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 mg/mL). Subsequently, the BPTCs were cultured in media with 1, 8 mg/mL glucose and 8 mg/mL glucose plus 100 nmol/L rapamycin (the inhibitor of mTOR pathway). Compared with the 1 mg/mL glucose, the addition of 8 mg/mL glucose stimulated cell proliferation, upregulated the mRNA abundance of the glucose transporter GLUT1 and GLUT4, and increased the activity of glucose metabolism-related enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenease (G6PD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA) and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), as well as adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) content (p < 0.05).Furthermore, compared with the treatment of 1 mg/mL glucose, adding 8 mg/mL of glucose-upregulated gene expression in the mTOR signaling pathway, including phosphatidylinositol3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and 70 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 2 (P70S6K) (p < 0.05).The supplementation of rapamycin downregulated the gene and protein expression of the mTOR signaling pathway, including mTOR, P70S6K, EIF4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) and gene expression of glucose transporter upregulated by 8 mg/mL glucose (p < 0.05). Thus, these results indicated that the addition of 8 mg/mL glucose regulated the glucose transport and metabolism in BPTCs through the mTOR signaling pathway, thereby promoting the supply of nutrients to fetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In order to increase the growth performance and make up for the lack of high-quality roughage, farmers are accustomed to adopting high-concentration diets during the fattening period of ruminants. The long-term consumption of high-concentration diets induces a series of nutritional metabolic diseases. In production practice, the major mutton sheep fattening region (e.g., Jiangsu, China) generally uses diets with a concentrate ratio of up to 80% to 90% during the fattening period, and reports of cases of nutritional metabolic diseases are also rare. This seems to indicate that sheep and goats are more adaptable to high-concentration diets than cattle. Our work shows that high-concentrate diets can significantly promote the digestion of nutrients; the liver enhances the adaptability of goats to high-concentration diets by regulating the expression of genes involved in nutrient metabolism and toxin clearance. Therefore, the liver plays a vital role in the adaptation of ruminants to high-concentration diets. The results here can lay the foundation for the rational application of high-concentration diets in production. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of high-concentrate diets on the blood parameters and liver transcriptome of goats. Eighteen goats were allocated into three dietary treatments: the high level of concentrate (HC) group, the medium level of concentrate (MC) group, and the low level of concentrate (LC) group. The blood parameters and pathological damage of the gastrointestinal tract and liver tissues were measured. In hepatic portal vein blood, HC showed higher LPS, VFAs, and LA; in jugular vein blood, no significant differences in LPS, VFAs, and LA were recorded among groups (p > 0.05). Compared to the LC and MC groups, the HC group showed significantly increased interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, TNF-α, and diamine oxidase in jugular vein blood (p < 0.05). Liver transcriptome analysis discovered a total of 1269 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the three groups and most of them came from the HC vs. LC group. There were 333 DEGs up-regulated and 608 down-regulated in the HC group compared to the LC group. The gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were mainly focused on the regulation of triacylglycerol catabolism, lipoprotein particle remodeling, and cholesterol transport. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed that the liver of the HC group enhanced the metabolism of nutrients such as VFAs through the activation of AMPK and other signaling pathways and enhanced the clearance and detoxification of LPS by activating the toll-like receptor signaling pathway. A high-concentrate diet (HCD) can significantly promote the digestion of nutrients; the liver enhances the adaptability of goats to an HCD by regulating the expression of genes involved in nutrient metabolism and toxin clearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The enzymatic hydrolysate of cottonseed protein (ECP) is a product rich in small chain peptides obtained from cottonseed meal by enzymatic hydrolysis. The removal of gossypol and the high content of protein and small chain peptides make ECP a potentially superior additive to cow feed. In this study, we employed the technique of in vitro gas production to simulate rumen fermentation and found that ECP supplementation increased the cumulative gas production, concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, and microbial proteins but did not affect the composition and production of volatile fatty acids. Compared with the positive control (supplemented yeast culture), the effect of ECP supplementation on the structure and composition of bacteria is much smaller. The findings of this study suggest that ECP is a high-quality additive that can be added to the feed of cows. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of enzymatic hydrolysate of cottonseed protein (ECP) on the kinetic of gas production, rumen fermentation characteristics, and microbial diversity in continuous in vitro culture with a single factorial design of supplementation with various concentrations of ECP or yeast culture. Treatments were control (without supplementation, CON), supplementation with 10 g/kg Diamond-V XP yeast culture of substrate (XP), and supplementation with 6, 12 and 18 g/kg ECP of substrate (ECP1, ECP2, ECP3), each incubated with 30 mL of buffered incubation fluids and 200 mg of fermentation substrate in graduated glass syringes fitted with plungers for 48 h. Compared with the CON treatment, supplementation of XP yeast culture increased the cumulative gas production at 12 and 24 h, the concentration of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration at 24 and 36 h, the concentration of microbial protein (MCP) concentration at 24 and 48 h, the molar butyrate proportion at 12, 24, and 48 h, the molar valerate proportion at 48 h, and the ratio of non-glucogenic to glucogenic acids (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON treatment, the concentration of MCP and the molar propionate proportion at 12 h were higher in the ECP1 treatment (p < 0.05); the cumulative gas production at 2, 4, and 12 h, the concentration of NH3-N at 36 h and the molar valerate proportion at 48 h were higher in the ECP2 treatment (p < 0.05); the cumulative gas production at 2, 12, and 48 h, the concentration of NH3-N at 12 and 36 h, the concentration of MCP at 12, 36, and 48 h, the molar butyrate proportion at 12 and 48 h, and the molar valerate proportion at 48 h were higher in the ECP3 treatment (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON treatment, supplementation with XP yeast culture significantly altered the relative abundance of the phyla Firmicutes, Kiritimatiellaeota, and Proteobacteria, while supplementation with ECP had minimal effect on bacterial diversity. The prediction of bacterial functions showed that the main gene functions of rumen bacteria are associated with carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and membrane transport. The findings of this study suggest that ECP can be used as a superior feed ingredient for ruminants, the suitable level of ECP was 18 g/kg in vitro experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Heat stress results in a decline in the production performance of the dairy cows. This study explored the metabolomes of milk and blood plasma in heat-stressed cows by means of 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics tools. Findings of the current experiment reveal that HS alters the metabolic composition of milk and blood plasma in lactating dairy cows. In brief, HS alters twelve metabolites in blood plasma and eight metabolites in milk, which are primarily involved in proteolysis, gluconeogenesis, and milk fatty acid synthesis, suggesting that these metabolites could be possible biomarkers for heat-stressed dairy cows. In the present experiment, we investigated the impact of heat stress (HS) on physiological parameters, dry matter intake, milk production, the metabolome of milk, and blood plasma in lactating Holstein dairy cows. For this purpose, 20 Holstein lactating cows were distributed in two groups in such a way that each group had 10 cows. A group of 10 cows was reared in HS conditions, while the other group of 10 cows was reared in the thermoneutral zone. The results of the experiment showed that cows subjected to HS had higher respiration rates (p < 0.01) and greater rectal temperature (p < 0.01). Results of milk production and composition explored that HS lowered milk production (p < 0.01) and milk protein percentage (p < 0.05) than cows raised in a thermoneutral place. Furthermore, HS increased the concentrations of N-acetyl glycoprotein, scyllo-inositol, choline, and pyridoxamine in milk, while HS decreased the concentrations of O-acetyl glycoprotein, glycerophosphorylcholine, citrate, and methyl phosphate in milk. Moreover, HS enhanced plasma concentrations of alanine, glucose, glutamate, urea, 1-methylhistidine, histidine, and formate in cows, while the plasma concentration of low-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein, leucine, lipid, and 3-hydroxybutyrate decreased due to HS. Based on the findings of the current research, it is concluded that HS alters the milk and blood plasma metabolites of lactating Holstein dairy cows. Overall, in the current experiment, HS altered eight metabolites in milk and twelve metabolites in the plasma of lactating Holstein dairy cows. Furthermore, the current study explored that these metabolites were mainly involved in proteolysis, gluconeogenesis, and milk fatty acid synthesis and could be potential biomarkers for dairy cows undergoing HS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The current study employed the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis to evaluate the effects in supplementation of highland barley (HLB), rapeseed meal (RSM) and HLB plus RSM on serum metabolites in grazing yaks. The findings of the study explored that supplementation with HLB, RSM and HLB plus RSM significantly alleviated the weight loss of growing yak in cold season, and HLB and HLB plus RSM were better than feed RSM. We found that different concentrate supplementations can partially change the metabolic consequences, such as promoted synthesis of lipids and proteins, and supplementation with HBL plus RSM was more effective in promoting lipid and protein deposition and improving energy supply efficiency. The findings of the current experiment may help to explain the body weight changes by supplementation with different concentrates via metabonomic responses. Supplementation plays an important role in reversing the weight loss of grazing yaks during cold season. However, little is known about the effect of supplementation on the serum metabolites of grazing yaks. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of supplementary feeding on average daily gain (ADG) and serum metabolites with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics method in growing yaks during cold season on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Twenty 1.5-year-old female yaks (91.38 ± 10.43 kg LW) were evenly divided into three treatment groups and a control group (CON) (n = 5 per group). All the yaks were released to graze during daytime, whereas the yaks in the treatment groups were supplemented with highland barley (HLB), rapeseed meal (RSM), and highland barley plus rapeseed meal (HLB + RSM) at night. The whole experiment lasted for 120 days. Results indicated that the ADG of growing yak heifers was increased by concentrate supplementations, and ADG under HLB and HLB + RSM group was 37.5% higher (p < 0.05) than that with RSM supplementation. Supplementary feeding increased the plasma concentrations of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of those in the CON group, and concentrations of BUN were higher in the RSM group than in the HLB and HLB + RSM group. Compared with the CON group, serum levels of glutamine, glycine, β-glucose were lower and that of choline was higher in the HLB group; serum levels of lactate were lower and that of choline, glutamate were higher in the HLB + RSM group. Compared with the HLB + RSM group, serum levels of glycerophosphoryl choline (GPC) and lactate were higher, and those of choline, glutamine, glutamate, leucine, N-acetyaspartate, α-glucose, and β-glucose were lower in the HLB group; serum levels of citrate, GPC and lactate were higher, and those of 3-Hydroxybutyrate, betaine, choline, glutamate, glutamine, N-acetylglycoprotein, N-acetyaspartate, α-glucose, and β-glucose were lower in the RSM group. It could be concluded that concentrate supplementations significantly improved the growth performance of growing yaks and supplementation with HBL or HLB plus RSM was better than RSM during the cold season. Supplementation with HBL or HLB plus RSM affected the serum metabolites of grazing yaks, and both treatments promoted lipid synthesis. Supplementation of yaks with HBL plus RSM could improve energy-supply efficiency, protein and lipid deposition compared with HLB and RSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Yak, a bovid animal, is the predominant livestock on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Rumen is an important digestive organ for ruminants, such as cattle, yak, and sheep. Rumen bacteria play a crucial role in dietary energy digestion of yaks and in their adaptation to the plateau environment. Dietary energy levels affect rumen bacterial populations and lipid deposition in the meat of ruminants. The intramuscular fat fatty acid profile is important for meat quality and human health. This study was conducted to determine the rumen bacterial populations affected by dietary energy levels and understand their relationship with intramuscular fat fatty acids. The results found that increasing dietary energy significantly increased ruminal propionate concentration and reduced the ammonia concentration. High dietary energy increased the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and mainly increased ruminal amylolytic and propionate-producing bacteria populations. Ruminal acetate and propionate were positively related to intramuscular saturated fatty acid content, and Prevotella was positively related to intramuscular polyunsaturated fatty acid content and negatively related to intramuscular saturated fatty acid content. This study gives insights into how the effects of dietary energy on rumen bacterial populations are related to intramuscular fat fatty acids of yaks. The yak rumen microflora has more efficient fiber-degrading and energy-harvesting abilities than that of low-altitude cattle; however, few studies have investigated the effects of dietary energy levels on the rumen bacterial populations and the relationship between rumen bacteria and the intramuscular fatty acid profile of fattening yaks. In this study, thirty yaks were randomly assigned to three groups. Each group received one of the three isonitrogenous diets with low (3.72 MJ/kg), medium (4.52 MJ/kg), and high (5.32 MJ/kg) levels of net energy for maintenance and fattening. After 120 days of feeding, results showed that increasing dietary energy significantly increased ruminal propionate fermentation and reduced ammonia concentration. The 16S rDNA sequencing results showed that increasing dietary energy significantly increased the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and stimulated the relative abundance of Succiniclasticum, Saccharofermentans, Ruminococcus, and Blautia populations. The quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that high dietary energy increased the abundances of Streptococcus bovis, Prevotella ruminicola, and Ruminobacter amylophilus at the species level. Association analysis showed that ruminal acetate was positively related to some intramuscular saturated fatty acid (SFA) contents, and Prevotella was significantly positively related to intramuscular total polyunsaturated fatty acid content and negatively related to intramuscular total SFA content. This study showed that high dietary energy mainly increased ruminal amylolytic and propionate-producing bacteria populations, which gave insights into how the effects of dietary energy on rumen bacteria are related to intramuscular fat fatty acids of fattening yaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The current study employed RNA-seq technology to analyze the impact of heat stress on the whole transcript sequencing profile in the mammary glands of lactating Holstein dairy cows. In the findings of the current study, heat stress downregulated the expression of casein genes, which resulted in a decrease in milk production. Moreover, heat stress upregulated the gene expression of HSPA1A and HSP90B1, while it downregulated the expression of immune response-related genes that resulted in a reduction in milk yield. Furthermore, there was an increased synthesis of heat shock proteins and unfolded proteins that could reduce the availability of circulating amino acids for milk protein synthesis. The findings of the current experiment may help to explore the impact of heat stress on immune function, milk production, and milk protein synthesis in cows. Heat stress (HS) exerts significant effects on the production of dairy animals through impairing health and biological functions. However, the molecular mechanisms related to the effect of HS on dairy cow milk production are still largely unknown. The present study employed an RNA-sequencing approach to explore the molecular mechanisms associated with a decline in milk production by the functional analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in mammary glands of cows exposed to HS and non-heat-stressed cows. The results of the current study reveal that HS increases the rectal temperature and respiratory rate. Cows under HS result in decreased bodyweight, dry matter intake (DMI), and milk yield. In the current study, a total of 213 genes in experimental cow mammary glands was identified as being differentially expressed by DEGs analysis. Among identified genes, 89 were upregulated, and 124 were downregulated. Gene Ontology functional analysis found that biological processes, such as immune response, chaperone-dependent refolding of protein, and heat shock protein binding activity, were notably affected by HS. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis found that almost all of the top-affected pathways were related to immune response. Under HS, the expression of heat shock protein 90 kDa beta I (HSP90B1) and heat shock 70 kDa protein 1A was upregulated, while the expression of bovine lymphocyte antigen (BoLA) and histocompatibility complex, class II, DRB3 (BoLA-DRB3) was downregulated. We further explored the effects of HS on lactation-related genes and pathways and found that HS significantly downregulated the casein genes. Furthermore, HS increased the expression of phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin, cytosolic arginine sensor for mTORC1 subunit 2 (CASTOR2), and cytosolic arginine sensor for mTORC1 subunit 1 (CASTOR1), but decreased the phosphorylation of Janus kinase-2, a signal transducer and activator of transcription factor-5. Based on the findings of DMI, milk yield, casein gene expression, and the genes and pathways identified by functional annotation analysis, it is concluded that HS adversely affects the immune function of dairy cows. These results will be beneficial to understand the underlying mechanism of reduced milk yield in HS cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The specific enzymes secreted by microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of ruminants, such as phytase, can catalyze the decomposition of calcium compounds (e.g., phytic acid) and release bound calcium for the absorption of animals. Therefore, we speculate that gastrointestinal microbes could be a factor affecting digestion and absorption of dietary calcium. However, little related research has been reported. In the present study, we found that the true digestibility of calcium (TDC) in goats is related to gastrointestinal bacteria. Some gastro-intestinal bacteria, such as ruminal Prevotella, were beneficial for true host digestibility of dietary calcium. The current study was performed to examine the relationship between the true digestibility of calcium (TDC) in the diet and bacterial community structure in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of goats. Twenty-six Nubian healthy female goats were selected as experimental animals, and their TDC was determined using metabolic experiments. Eight goats were grouped into the high digestibility of Calcium (HC) phenotype, and another eight were grouped into the low digestibility of Calcium (LC) phenotype. Their bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons from the rumen, abomasum, jejunum, cecum, and colon contents were sequenced using next-generation high-throughput sequencing technology. In the rumen, 239 genera belonging to 23 phyla, 319 genera belonging to 30 phyla in the abomasum, 248 genera belonging to 36 phyla in the jejunum, 248 genera belonging to 25 phyla in the colon and 246 genera belonging to 23 phyla in the cecum were detected. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the TDC and the relative abundance of Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Mogibacterium, Prevotella_1, Prevotella_UCG_004, Ruminococcus_2, Saccharibacteria in the rumen, Eubacterium_coprostanoligens_group, Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_group, Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group, p-1088-a5_gut_group, and Planctomycetes in the abomasum, Butyrivibrio in the cecum, and Fibrobacter in the cecum were observed. This study suggests an association of GIT microbial communities as a factor influencing TDC in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Yak, which is the predominant and semi-domesticated livestock on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, suffers severe starvation and body weight reduction in the cold season because of the harsh highland environment. Lipids are important energy sources to starvation animals. β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) that is derived from lipid decomposition as the primary ketone body is with the function not only to provide energy for animals as energy materials, but also regulate lipid metabolism as signaling molecular. However, the effects of starvation and BHBA on lipid metabolism and its mechanism are still unclear for ruminant animals. Herein, we investigated the effects of starvation and intravenous infusion of BHBA solution on Yak growth, serum biochemistry, hormones, subcutaneous adipocyte morphology, fatty acid composition, activity of enzymes related to lipid metabolism, and signal pathway. The results showed that starvation promoted lipid catabolism and BHBA infusion up-regulated the mRNA expression of receptor GPR109A in subcutaneous adipose tissue, inhibited the Cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)/Protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway, and inhibited lipolysis. Our study was beneficial for enriching the nutrition regulation theory of yaks and improving their growth potential. Lipid is the chief energy source for starved animals. β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) is the main ketone body produced by lipid decomposition. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell experiment, it was found that BHBA could be used not only as an energy substance, but also as a ligand of GPR109A for regulating lipid metabolism. However, whether BHBA can regulate lipid metabolism of yaks, and its effective concentration and signal pathway are not clear. This study investigated the effects and mechanism of starvation and BHBA on the lipid metabolism of yak. Eighteen male Jiulong yaks were selected and then randomly divided into three groups: normal feeding group (NG), starvation group (SG), and starvation with BHBA infusion group (SBG). The yaks in the NG group were freely fed during the trial, while the yaks in the SG and SBG groups fasted; from 7th to 9th days of the experiment, the NG and SG were infused continuous with 0.9% normal saline and SBG was infused 1.7 mmol/L BHBA solution respectively. The blood samples were collected on the 0th, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th day of experiment. The subcutaneous adipose tissue of all the yaks in this study were taken from live bodies after infusion. Serum glucose, lipid metabolites, hormone concentrations, and mRNA and protein expressions of key factors of lipid metabolism and signaling pathway in subcutaneous adipose tissue were measured. The results showed that, as compared with NG, starvation significantly reduced the body weight of yak in SG, and significantly increased the concentration of BHBA in serum and the mRNA expression of PKA and CREB1 in subcutaneous adipose tissue, while the mRNA expression of MEK, PKC, ERK1/2, the area of adipocytes, and the proportion of saturated fatty acid were decreased. Whereas, further increase of BHBA concentration through infusion promoted the mRNA expression of GPR109A receptor in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of SBG, inhibited the mRNA expression of AC and PKA, and decreased the phosphorylation protein abundance of CREB1, and significantly increased the diameter and area of adipocytes. These findings suggest that starvation led to enhanced lipid catabolism in yaks. An increasing BHBA concentration could increase the mRNA expression of GPR109A receptor in subcutaneous adipose tissue and inhibit the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway and lipid decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Yak, the predominant and semi-domesticated livestock on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, suffers severe starvation and body weight reduction in the cold season and recovers relatively rapid growth in the warm season every year, because of the harsh highland environment. Rumen microorganisms have critical nutritional and physiological functions for the growth of ruminant, but the strategy of rumen microorganism of yaks to cope with the starvation and re-alimentation challenges and the contributions of rumen microflora to compensatory growth remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the effects of starvation and refeeding on the growth, feed efficiency, blood biochemistry and rumen microbial community as well as functions of yaks. Our results indicated that the rumen microorganism, in part, contributed to yak adaption to starvation and compensatory growth during re-alimentation. Our study is helpful in the understanding and utilization of this natural character of yaks to explore and improve their growth potential. Yak suffers severe starvation and body weight reduction in the cold season and recovers relatively rapid growth in the warm season every year. Herein, we investigated the effects of starvation and refeeding on the growth, feed efficiency, blood biochemistry and rumen microbial community as well as functions of yaks. The results showed that starvation significantly reduced the body weight of yaks. Serum glucose and triglyceride concentrations significantly decreased, and β-hydroxybutyric acid and non-esterified fatty acid levels were significantly increased during the starvation period. Starvation also dramatically inhibited rumen microbial fermentations. Whereas, refeeding with the same diet significantly increased the feed efficiency, nutrient digestibility together with rumen acetate, propionate and microbial protein productions compared with those before starvation. The 16S rDNA sequencing results showed that starvation mainly decreased the ruminal protein-degrading bacteria Prevotella and propionate-producing bacteria Succiniclasticum populations and dramatically increased the denitrifying bacteria Thauera populations. Refeeding reduced the Euryarchaeota population and increased propionate-producing bacteria Succinivibrionaceae UCG-002 and starch-degrading bacteria Ruminobacter populations when compared with those before starvation. The predicted microbial metabolic pathways, related to amino acid and starch metabolisms, were also significantly altered during the starvation and refeeding. The results indicated that the rumen microorganisms and their metabolism pathways changed with feed supply, and these alterations in part contributed to yak adaption to starvation and re-alimentation. This study is helpful for enhancing the understanding and utilization of this natural character of yaks to explore and improve their growth potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Anti-stress is an emergent research point to current cattle industry. Land transport stress, a negative off-site fattening mode, causing a serious problems to beef cattle production, such as nutrition-metabolism, hormone secretion levels, and immune competence are imbalanced. In this paper we compared among Simmental Crossbred Cattle (SC), Native Yellow Cattle (NY), and Cattle Yak (CY) about ruminal microbe diversity and immune functions before and after transportation. The results showing that transport stress leads to increase secretion of hormone, both pro-inflammatory cytokines and rumen lipopolysaccharide. Meanwhile, the ruminal microbiota OTUs, Chao1, and Shannon were also changed, and Prevotella1 in NY group was higher than other groups before transport; after transport Firmicutes and Lactobacillus were increased than other groups in CY. The rumen microbiota also related with serum cytokine. Under transport stress, rumen microbiota affect the secretion of hormone levels and immune functions and breed factors affect the performance of stress resistance. The intensity and specialization of beef cattle production make off-site fattening, and introduce new breeds need transportation to achieve the goals. The present study was aimed to investigate effects of land transport stress on hormones levels, microbial fermentation, microbial composition, immunity and correlation among them among Simmental Crossbred Cattle (SC), Native Yellow Cattle (NY), and Cattle Yak (CY). High-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the rumen microbial diversity. After transport stress cortisol (COR), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β were increased (p < 0.05) in all groups. Rumen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was increased (p < 0.05) in SC and CY groups. Total volatile fatty acids were increased (p < 0.05) in all groups. The ruminal microbiota about OTUs, Chao1, and Shannon in SC and CY groups were higher than before transport. Prevotella1 in NY group was higher (p < 0.05) than other groups before transport; after transport Firmicutes and Lactobacillus were increased (p < 0.05) than other groups in CY. Lactobacillus was positively correlated with IL-6 and IL-4. Under transport stress, cattle may suffer from inflammatory response through modulating HPA axis and microbiota metabolite affects the secretion of hormone levels and immune function and breeds factor affect the performance of stress resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The effects of supplementation of branches and leaves trimmed from tea tree (BLTT) on growth performance, rumen fermentation characteristics and meat composition of fattening Nanjiang Yellow goats were studied. Supplementation of 4% BLTT increased final body weight of goats and also increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, while glutathione peroxidase and malondialdehyde followed the quadratic curve. Quadratic curves were also observed for villus height, crypt depth and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum. The quadratic effect was obtained for total essential amino acids, and individual amino acids threonine and leucine. Supplementation of 4% BLTT decreased the saturated fatty acid C16:0, and a quadratic effect was observed for polyunsaturated fatty acid C18:3 (n−3). From the present study, it is concluded that BLTT supplementation has a positive effect on body antioxidative status, gastrointestinal development, rumen fermentation characteristics and overall hence growth performance and meat composition in goats. Thirty-two 6-month-old, healthy Nanjiang Yellow goats (34.6 ± 4.16 kg) were randomly divided into four treatments to evaluate the supplementary effects of branches and leaves trimmed from tea tree (BLTT) on growth performance, rumen fermentation characteristics, and meat composition in fattening goats. The control goats were fed a basal diet. Treatments 1, 2 and 3 were fed 2%, 4% and 6% of BLTT respectively. After a 60 d feeding trial, blood samples were collected for the analysis of the antioxidant profile and goats were slaughtered to obtain the rumen fluid and carcass samples for determination of rumen fermentation characteristics and meat composition perameters. Increased final body weight was observed in goats fed 4% BLTT compared with control. The activity of superoxide dismutase was increased in the 4% BLTT-treated group, while glutathione peroxidase and malondialdehyde followed the quadratic curve. Quadratic curves were also observed for villus height, crypt depth and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum. The quadratic effect was obtained for total essential amino acids, and individual amino acids threonine and leucine. The saturated fatty acid C16:0 was decreased with 4% of BLTT supplementation, and a quadratic effect was observed for polyunsaturated fatty acid C18:3 (n−3). To sum up, our findings revealed that BLTT supplementation has a positive effect on body antioxidative status, gastrointestinal development, rumen fermentation characteristics and overall growth performance and meat quality in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]