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Silver nanodisks (AgNDs) have been successfully synthesized by using ferric chloride as an auxiliary agent in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone and

This experiment was conducted to study the regularity influence in apparent digestibility, rumen fermentation parameters, and relative bacterial abundance in buffaloes with different concentrate to roughage ratios. Three adult female barren buffaloes with permanent rumen fistulas were fed five diets with concentrate to roughage ratios of 20:80, 35:65, 50:50, 65:35, and 80:20 according to an incomplete Latin square design of 3×5, respectively. The pre-feeding period of each period was 12 d. From day 13 to 15 of the experiment, the feed intake of each buffalo was accurately recorded and all feces were collected. Samples of diet and feces were collected for nutrient analysis. Rumen fluid was collected to determine rumen fermentation parameters, and rumen bacteria were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. After 2 hours of feeding in the morning on the 15th day of the experiment, rumen bacteria were analyzed. The daily gain and DMI (G/kgW0.75) reached the highest at the concentrate to roughage ratio of 50:50, and the apparent digestibility of ADF NDF NDICP ADICP reached the highest at the concentrate to roughage ratio of 35:65. The weight loss of the experimental animals when the concentrate to roughage was 80:20. Rumen pH decreased with the increase of concentrate level, starch content and NFC content. The rumen ammonia nitrogen concentration increased with the increase in the concentrate to roughage ratio and protein content. The concentration of total volatile fatty acids (mmol/L) in the rumen decreased with the increase of NDF but increased with the increase of NFC and CP, and the acetic acid proportion increased with the increase of NDF. There were differences in the relative abundance of rumen bacterial microbiota with the different concentrate to roughage ratios. Moreover, the relative abundance of each bacterial microbiota changed regularly with the change of concentrate to roughage ratio. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and other rumen core microbiota varied linearly or nonlinearly with the change of concentrate to roughage ratio. This suggests that the relative abundance of the ratio of rumen microbiota can be used to specify or measure rumen health and subacute rumen acidosis/rumen acidosis.

Synthesis of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) has been studied for decades. However, Ag NWs with diameters below 20 nm synthesised by simple and robust approaches are still rarely reported. In this work, Ag NWs with an average diameter of ∼15 nm and an aspect ratio of over 1000 have been prepared by using a Grignard reagent 5-chloro-2-thienylmagnesium bromide as an assistant additive. In particular, the presence of 5-chloro-2-thienylmagnesium bromide is proven to be beneficial for the in situ formation of smaller AgBr and AgCl particles step by step in comparison with traditional inorganic halide ions, and then promote the final growth of ultrafine Ag NWs.

Objective: The objective of the present experiment was to construct self-draining beds to keep surface bedding materials clean and dry for beef cattle comfort in a temperate climate.Methods: In Experiment 1, a self-draining bed was covered with sand at depths of 10 cm (S-10a), 15 cm (S-15), and 20 cm (S-20) respectively. In Experiment 2, self-draining beds of different sizes were covered with 10 cm of sand (S-10b) and wood shavings (WS) at depths of 15 cm and 20 cm (WS-15 and WS-20). Fifteen cattle were engaged to evaluate the comfort of self-draining beds covered with different bedding materials.Results: No cattle lay in the feed alley and cattle spent more time lying on S-10a than S-15 or S-20 in Experiment 1 (p0.05). In Experiment 2, no cattle selected the feed alley as the lying area. Cattle preferred WS-15 as the lying area and time spent lying on WS-20 was slightly higher than on S-10b (p

There are many kinds of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals, some of which are closely related to the host. Rumen microorganisms are essential for normal physiological activities of their host by decomposing plant crude lignin and providing essential nutrients. The composition and diversity of this microbial population are influenced by the host, environment, and diet. Despite its importance, little is known about the effects of factors such as altitude variation on rumen microbial population abundance and diversity in different ruminants. Here, we described the changes in overall rumen bacteria in four groups of cattle, including the Zhongdian yellow cattle and Zhongdian yaks, grazing at high altitudes (3600 m); the Jiangcheng yellow cattle and Jiangcheng buffalo were kept at an altitude of 1100 m. We found that there was a significant difference in rumen bacterial abundance of the Zhongdian yellow cattle and Zhongdian yaks at high altitude and there was obvious homogeneity in rumen bacterial abundance and diversity in the Jiangcheng yellow cattle and Jiangcheng buffalo at low altitude. Therefore, our research concluded that under the same dietary environment, there were differences in the abundance and diversity of certain bacteria in the rumen of different breeds of cattle, indicating that host genetic factors and intestinal microorganisms related to altitudinal variation had a greater influence on rumen bacterial abundance in the cattle.

Herein, silica carrier was used as underlying structure to prepare composite material loaded with rare earth element Er and Zn. Rare earth elements can improve antimicrobial effects of ZnO due to their specific electronic structure. Er–ZnO/SiO2 hybrid antibacterial material was prepared through sol-gel method and its structure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. E. coli and S. aureus were selected as model bacteria to assess antibacterial activity of prepared hybrid material by plate coating method. Er–ZnO/SiO2 exhibited good antibacterial activity towards E. coli and S. aureus. Increase in Er3+ concentration from 0.12% to 1.10% led to increase in antibacterial performance followed by subsequent decrease. Improving effect of Er relied on the molar ratio of Er doped in ZnO/SiO2 hybrid material. The optimal sample was found to be 0.60%Er–ZnO/SiO2, with antibacterial rates of 93.71% and 70.46% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Antibacterial mechanism was assessed by fluorescence detection of reactive oxygen species. In addition, flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to measure the amount of released Zn2+. Results also showed that 0.60%Er–ZnO/SiO2 hybrid material generated more reactive oxygen species, released more Zn2+ ions, and had the largest surface area, which improved its antibacterial rate. Thus, Er enhanced antibacterial properties of ZnO/SiO2, providing these composite materials with great potential as antibacterial products.

With the continuous improvement in medical science in modern times, the spread of bacterial infection has become a matter of global concern. Therefore, the search for biological medical materials with antibacterial function has become a focus of intense research. In this work, pure SnO2 and Ag-doped SnO2 hollow nanofibers were fabricated by a combination of an electrospinning method and a calcination procedure, and the effects of the doped Ag on antibacterial activity and catalytic antibacterial activity were subsequently investigated. Through the process of high-temperature calcination, a high heating rate would lead to the formation of a hollow tubular structure in SnO2 fibers, and Ag2O would be reduced to Ag0 by a facile process with appropriate thermal treatment. Additionally, the existence of SnO2 as a tetragonal rutile structure was confirmed. On the basis of pure SnO2, doping with Ag greatly improved the antibacterial activity and catalytic antibacterial activity of hollow nanofibers. The formation mechanism and the antibacterial mechanism of pure SnO2 and Ag-doped hollow nanofibers are also discussed. This study has broad application prospects for biological medicine.

The gut microbial community of mammals, especially ruminants, plays an important role at different ages of the host. Ruminants have a unique compartment in their digestive tract; the rumen, comprising microorganisms that can effectively decompose plant fibers for the host to transform into milk and for growth and development, which is important for meat production. Colonization of rumen microorganisms is closely related to host developmental stage and affects host performance production. There is little information regarding initial colonization and subsequent changes of the rumen microbial population in wild grazing animals, from birth to adulthood. This study investigated the rumen bacterial and fungal populations of grazing yaks in five experimental groups, ranging from a few days after birth to adulthood using amplicon sequencing. Results indicated that rumen microbial communities of these yaks undergo a gradual change from 5 to 180 days after birth, with the bacterial and fungal diversity stabilizing at the age of 2 years. Additionally, Ruminococcus was detected in 5-day-old yak rumens, with a high percentage of Penicillium and other microbial species are important for normal rumen function detected in the adult rumen. The changes to the yak rumen microbial community after birth were reflected in the increased anaerobic fiber degradation group, and decreased aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria. Microbial diversity and abundance in the yak rumen increased with age. Rumen microbial composition of 6-month and 2-year-old yaks had obvious homogeneity. There were some differences in dominant rumen microorganisms among the different age groups. Further studies are required to confirm the functions of these differential and dominant microorganisms in each age group.

Tibetan pigs, indigenous to Tibetan plateau, are well adapted to hypoxia. So far, there have been not any definitively described genes and functional sites responsible for hypoxia adaptation for the Tibetan pig. The whole genome-wide association studies in human suggested that genetic variations in TMPRSS6 was associated with hemoglobin concentration (HGB) and red cell counts (RBC). Here we conducted resequencing of the nearly entire genomic region (40.1 kb) of the candidate gene TMPRSS6 in 40 domestic pigs and 40 wild boars along continuous altitudes and identified 708 SNPs, in addition to an indel (CGTG/----) in the intron 10. We conduct the CGTG indel in 838 domestic pigs, both the CGTG deletion frequency and the pairwise r2 linkage disequilibrium showed an increase with elevated altitudes, suggesting that TMPRSS6 has been under Darwinian positive selection. As the conserved core sequence of hypoxia-response elements (HREs), the deletion of CGTG in Tibetan pigs decreased the expression levels of TMPRSS6 mRNA and protein in the liver revealed by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot, respectively. We compared domestic pigs and Tibetan pigs living continuous altitudes, found that the blood-related traits with the increase of altitude, however, the HGB did not increase with the elevation in Tibetan pigs. Genotype association analysis results dissected a genetic effect on reducing HGB by 13.25 g/L in Gongbo'gyamda Tibetan pigs, decreasing mean corpuscular volume (MCV) by 4.79 fl in Diqing Tibetan pigs. In conclusion, the CGTG deletion of TMPRSS6 resulted in lower HGB and smaller MCV, which could reflect a blunting erythropoiesis and improving blood viscosity as well as erythrocyte deformability. It remains to be determined whether a blunting of erythropoiesis for TMPRSS6 or others genetic effects are the physiological adaptations among Tibetan pigs.

Silica microspheres with narrow particle size distribution and average diameter of 80–200 nm were prepared by hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in ethanol solution. Effects of TEOS, ammonia, water concentration, and temperature on particle size and morphology were investigated by laser particle size analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Monomer addition model was employed to analyze the stability of intermediate, as well as the direction in which the reaction of silica particles proceeds. The analysis was carried out by Materials Studio. Results demonstrated that particle size of Nano-silica increases with increasing concentrations of H2O, NH3·H2O, and TEOS in ethanol, whereas the size decreases with increasing temperature. In addition, when proper amount of H2O was added into NH3·H2O at suitable temperature, silicic acid can act as a nucleus for amorphous Nano-silica particles, forming microspheres with round and smooth surfaces. By contrast, when TEOS was used, resultant nanoparticles have poor surfaces. During nucleation process of Nano-silica, silicic acid can also acts as nucleating agent providing a platform for the growth of nanoparticles with symmetric structure. Findings further indicated that the reaction proceeds by first silicic acid participates in the reaction, and the dimer and trimer molecules then react with the surface of silicic acid molecules; the same products could be produced by different reactions.

Background Comfortable beds play an important role in increasing the ruminant and milk production efficiency of dairy buffalo. In loose housing systems, cow lying comfort depends on both the bedding materials and bed base. Results Buffaloes spent more lying time on sand beds at depth of 15 and 20 cm (S-15 and S-20) than on beds of 10 cm (S-10a) beds or in the feed alley in Exp1 (P P P Conclusion A depth of sand or wood shavings at 15 cm can meet the lying comfort requirements of dairy buffaloes when bedding materials are used above drainage beds.

Twelve representative buffalo were selected from 22 suckling calves, 41 weaned calves, 57 reserve bulls and 20 adult bulls for slaughter. The study aims to assess the effect of age on dressing percentage, meat percentage and carcass meat yield and physico-chemical properties of longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris, and to evaluate the correlation between live weight and marbling, backfat thickness, rib eye area. The results showed that the slaughter performance and meat quality of Binlangjang male buffalo showed an obvious change with age. The dressing percentage decreased from 54.93% to 51.22% with the increase of age, while meat percentage and carcass meat yield increased gradually with age, which were 34.58–38.59%, 62.95–75.34%; Marbling, backfat thickness and rib eye area increased with age, and there was significant difference between the situation before 3 months and after 12 months of age (P 0.05). The levels of fat, protein, cholesterol and inosine acid were significantly different before 3 months of age from those after 12 months (P

A total of 6,219 positive clones were obtained by constructing a BAC library of uncultured ruminal fungi of gayal, and two clones (xynF1 and eglF2) with lignocellulolytic enzyme activity were selected. The sequencing results showed that xynF1 and eglF2 had 903-bp, and 1,995-bp, open reading frames likely to encode β-xylanase (XynF1) and β-glucosidase (EglF2), respectively. The amino acid sequence of XynF1 had 99% coverage and 95% homology to the endo-β-1,4-xylanase encoded by the cellulase gene of Orpinomyces sp. LT-3 (GenBank accession No. AEO51791.1). The amino acid sequence of EglF2 had 99% coverage and 93% homology to the β-glucosidase encoded by the cellulase gene of Piromyces sp. E2 (GenBank accession No. CAC34952.1). Analysis using the SMART software showed that XynF1 contains a glycoside hydrolase family 11 functional module and a carbohydrate-binding module, while EglF2 contains a glycoside hydrolase family 1 functional module. XynF1 showed the highest relative enzymatic activity, up to 95%, at 45°C and pH 4.2, while EglF2 showed the highest relative enzymatic activity, up to 95%, at 55°C and pH 6.2. In this study, we achieved efficient expression of the xynF1 and eglF2 genes in Pichia pastoris, which laid a foundation for the practical application of the lignocellulolytic enzymes.

Domesticated buffaloes have been integral to rice-paddy agro-ecosystems for millennia, yet relatively little is known about the buffalo genomics. Here, we sequenced and assembled reference genomes for both swamp and river buffaloes and we re-sequenced 230 individuals (132 swamp buffaloes and 98 river buffaloes) sampled from across Asia and Europe. Beyond the many actionable insights that our study revealed about the domestication, basic physiology and breeding of buffalo, we made the striking discovery that the divergent domestication traits between swamp and river buffaloes can be explained with recent selections of genes on social behavior, digestion metabolism, strengths and milk production.

With the continuous improvement in medical science in modern times, the spread of bacterial infection has become a matter of global concern. Therefore, the search for biological medical materials with antibacterial function has become a focus of intense research. In this work, pure SnO2 and Ag-doped SnO2 hollow nanofibers were fabricated by a combination of an electrospinning method and a calcination procedure, and the effects of the doped Ag on antibacterial activity were subsequently investigated. Through the process of high-temperature calcination, a high heating rate would lead to the formation of a hollow tubular structure in SnO2 fibers, and Ag2O would be reduced to Ag0 by a facile process with appropriate thermal treatment. Additionally, the existence of SnO2 as a tetragonal rutile structure was confirmed. On the basis of pure SnO2, doping with silver greatly improved the antibacterial activity of hollow nanofibers. The formation mechanism and the antibacterial mechanism of pure SnO2 and Ag-doped hollow nanofibers are also discussed. This study has broad application prospects for biological medicine.

Gayal is a rare semi-wild bovine species found in the Indo-China. They can graze grasses, including bamboo leaves, as well as reeds and other plant species, and grow to higher mature live weights than Yunnan Yellow cattle maintained in similar harsh environments. The aim of this study was to identify specific cellulase in the gayal rumen. A metagenomic fosmid library was constructed using genomic DNA isolated from the ruminal contents of four adult gayals. This library contained 38 400 clones with an average insert size of 35.5 kb. The Umcel-1 gene was isolated from this library. Investigation of the cellulase activity of 24 random clones led to the identification of the Umcel-1 gene , which exhibited the most potent cellulase activity. Sequencing the Umcel-1 gene revealed that it contained an open reading frame of 942 base pairs that encoded a product of 313 amino acids. The putative gene Umcel-1 product belonged to the glycosyl hydrolase family 5 and showed the highest homology to the cellulase (GenBank accession no. YP_004310852.1) from Clostridium lentocellum DSM 5427, with 44% identity and 62% similarity. The Umcel-1 gene was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21, and recombinant Umcel-1 was purified. The activity of purified recombinant Umcel-1 was assessed, and the results revealed that it hydrolyzed carboxymethyl cellulose with optimal activity at pH 5.5 and 45°C. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence for a cellulase produced by bacteria in gayal rumen.

Shade shelter is widely used to reduce heat load for farm animals, but little research focus on the cooling effects for Dehong buffalo calves. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the impacts of shade cooling on the physiological and behavioural parameters for Dehong buffalo calves. Shade with 99% blockage of solar radiation was covered on steel frame with a 2.5m height above the loafing area floor (shaded). The loafing area of the control group was the same as the shaded group, apart from no shade shelter above the loafing area (non-shaded). Twenty-four Dehong buffalo calves were randomly and averagely allocated to the non-shaded and shaded groups. Six Dehong buffalo calves were loose housed in a barn, and they had access to loafing area. The results showed that the average daily air temperature of the loafing area under shade was lower 1.5°C than that of the loafing area without shade shelter. No difference in rectal temperature was found between the non-shaded and shaded calves ( P >0.05), but respiration rate of the non-shaded group in noon (12:00h, 31.6 breaths) and evening (18:00h, 28.5 breaths) was greater than for calves in shaded group (26.1 and 25.3 breaths, respectively) ( P P P

Chronic heat stress (HS), aggravated by global warming, reduces the production efficiency of the buffalo dairy industry. Here, we conducted a proteomic analysis to investigate the adaptation strategies used by buffalo in response to heat stress. Seventeen differentially abundant proteins with known functions were detected using label-free quantification (LFQ), and five of these differentially expressed proteins were validated with parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). These five proteins were associated with various aspects of heat stress, including decreased heat production, increased blood oxygen delivery, and enhanced natural disease resistance. Lipase (LPL), glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3), cathelicidin-2 (CATHL2, LL-37), ceruloplasmin (CP), and hemoglobin subunit alpha 1 (HBA1) were shown to play cooperative roles in the tolerance of chronic HS in dairy buffalo. We found that high levels of HBA1 increased blood oxygen transport capacity. Our results increase our understanding of the adaptation of dairy buffalo to chronic heat stress.

Tibetan pigs, indigenous to Tibetan plateau, are well adapted to hypoxia. So far, there have been not any definitively described genes and functional sites responsible for hypoxia adaptation for the Tibetan pig. Here we conducted resequencing of the nearly entire genomic region (40.1 kb) of the candidate geneTMPRSS6(Transmembrane protease, serine 6) associated with hemoglobin concentration (HGB) and red blood cell count (RBC) in 40 domestic pigs and 40 wild boars from five altitudes along the Tea-horse ancient road and identified 708 SNPs, in addition to an indel (CGTG/----) in the intron 10. Both the CGTG deletion frequency and the pairwise r2linkage disequilibrium showed an increase with elevated altitudes in 838 domestic pigs from five altitudes, suggesting thatTMPRSS6has been under Darwinian positive selection. As the conserved core sequence of hypoxia-response elements (HREs), the deletion of CGTG in Tibetan pigs decreased the expression levels ofTMPRSS6mRNA and protein in the liver revealed by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot, respectively. To explore whether reducedTMPRSS6expression level could improve blood viscosity, the relationship between CGTG indel and hematologic and hemorheologic parameters in 482 domestic pigs from continuous altitudes was detected and dissected a genetic effect on reducing HGB by 13.25g/L in Gongbo’gyamda Tibetan pigs and decreasing MCV by 4.79 fl in Diqing Tibetan pigs. In conclusion, the CGTG deletion ofTMPRSS6resulted in lower HGB and smaller MCV, thereby blunting erythropoiesis and improving blood viscosity as well as erythrocyte deformability.

Figure S1. Alignments of EDN3 protein with different species. Figure S2. Prediction secondary structure of EDN3 protein. t, refers to Beta turn; c, to Random coil; h, to Alpha helices; e, to Extended strand. (DOCX 13238 kb)

Table S1. EDN3 genome sequencing screening results. Table S2. The 16 SNPs obtained from online database. OAR refers to: Ovis aries; Chr: chromosome. (DOCX 18 kb)

A total of 6,219 positive clones were obtained by constructing a BAC library of uncultured ruminal fungi of gayal, and two clones (xynF1 and eglF2) with lignocellulolytic enzyme activity were selected. The sequencing results showed that xynF1 and eglF2 had 903-bp, and 1,995-bp, open reading frames likely to encode β-xylanase (XynF1) and β-glucosidase (EglF2), respectively. The amino acid sequence of XynF1 had 99% coverage and 95% homology to the endo-β-1,4-xylanase encoded by the cellulase gene of Orpinomyces sp. LT-3 (GenBank accession No. AEO51791.1). The amino acid sequence of EglF2 had 99% coverage and 93% homology to the β-glucosidase encoded by the cellulase gene of Piromyces sp. E2 (GenBank accession No. CAC34952.1). Analysis using the SMART software showed that XynF1 contains a glycoside hydrolase family 11 functional module and a carbohydrate-binding module, while EglF2 contains a glycoside hydrolase family 1 functional module. XynF1 showed the highest relative enzymatic activity, up to 95%, at 45°C and pH 4.2, while EglF2 showed the highest relative enzymatic activity, up to 95%, at 55°C and pH 6.2. In this study, we achieved efficient expression of the xynF1 and eglF2 genes in Pichia pastoris, which laid a foundation for the practical application of the lignocellulolytic enzymes.

The first animal with black traits to be studied was the Black-boned chicken. In China, we identified a flock of sheep with black traits. In the present study, the complete coding sequences of three genes, PSPH, SNRPA1 and TPM1, of Black-boned sheep (Ovis aries) were amplified using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, according to the conserved sequence information for cattle and other mammals and known highly homologous sheep ESTs. The results showed that the Black-boned sheep PSPH gene encodes a protein of 225 amino acids, which has high homology with the PSPH proteins of seven species: cattle (99%), humans (94%), rat (93%), mouse (93%), African clawed frog (77%), Atlantic salmon (70%) and zebrafish (68%). The Black-boned sheep SNRPA1 gene encodes a protein of 255 amino acids, which has high identity with the SNRPA1 proteins of four species: cattle (99%), humans (99%), mouse (97%) and chicken (91%). The Black-boned sheep TPM1 gene encodes a protein of 284 amino acids, which has ...

The Chinese yakow is the offspring of yak (Bos grunniens) and Yellow cattle (Bos taurus). The melanocortin 1receptor gene (MC1R) plays a crucial role in determining coat colour of mammals. To investigate the relationship of polymorphism of the MC1R with coat colour in the Chinese yakow, the coding sequence (CDS) and the flanking region of MC1R were sequenced from 84 Chinese yakow samples and compared with the sequences of the MC1R from other bovid species. A fragment of 1134 base pair (bp) sequences including the full CDS (954bp) and parts of the 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions (162 and 18bp, respectively) of the Chineseyakow MC1R were obtained. A total of 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including 4 SNPs (T-129C, A-127C, C-106T, G-1A) in the 5'-untranslated region and 9 SNPs (C201T, T206C, C340A, C375T, T663C, G714C, C870T, G871A and T890C) in the CDS were identified, revealing high genetic variability. Four novel SNPs including T206C, G714C, C870T and T890C, which have not been reported previously in bovid species, were retrieved. Within 9 coding SNPs, C201T, C375T, T663C and C870T were silent mutations, while T206C, C340A, G714C, G871A and T890C were mis-sense mutations, corresponding to amino acid changes p.L69P, p.Q114K, p.K238N, p.A291N and p.I297T, respectively. Amino acid sequences alignment showed a more than 96% similarity with other ruminates. However, three classical bovine MC1R loci the E(D), E(+) and e were not retrieved in the Chinese yakow, indicating other genes or factors could be involved in affecting coat colour in this species.

The gene coding for insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) is important for regulation of growth, development and metabolism in mammals. The present investigation was conducted to study nucleotide polymorphism of the IGFBP3 in gayal (Bos frontalis) and to compare the variations with those which occur in other ruminants. A fragment of 645 base pairs of the IGFBP3 covering a part of exon 2, the complete intron 2 and exon 3 and a part of intron 3 was amplified, sequenced (n=46) and digested (n=79) with HaeIII restriction enzyme from 125 collected gayal samples. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) [C14T, A122C, C137T, G144C, C155T, G213A, C279A, G334A and G460A] were identified and located in intron 2, revealing high genetic variability. The alignment of nucleotide sequences was found to be very similar to those for other bovid species. Sequencing and HaeIII digestion showed that frequency of alleles C and A [consisting of fragments of sizes 56, 64, 228, 264, 282, 298 and 497 bp (CC genotype)] was 0.96 and 0.04 for the SNP C279A. Moreover, the genotype frequency of the SNP C279A in gayal was compared with that in other ruminants and it appears that this polymorphism may be associated with low fat content and rapid growth in this rare species.

Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) plays a major role in pigmentation in many species. To investigate if the MC1R gene is associated with coat color in water buffalo, the coding region of MC1R gene of 216 buffalo samples was sequenced, which included 49 black river buffalo (Murrah and Nili-Ravi), 136 swamp buffalo (Dehong, Diandongnan, Dechang, Guizhou, and Xilin) with white and gray body, and 31 hybrid offspring of river buffalo Nili-Ravi (or Murrah) and swamp buffalo. Among the three variation sites found, SNP684 was synonymous, while SNP310 and SNP384 were nonsynonymous, leading to p.S104G and p.I128M changes, respectively. Only Individuals carrying homozygote E(BR)/E(BR) were black. The genotype and phenotype analysis of the hybrid offspring of black river buffalo and gray swamp buffalo further revealed that the river buffalo type allele E(BR) or the allele carrying the amino acid p.104S was important for the full function of MC1R. The in silico functional analysis showed that the amino acid substitutions p.G104S and p.M128I had significant impact on the function of MC1R. Above results indicate that the allele E(BR) or the allele carrying the amino acid p.104S was associated with the black coat color in buffalo.

Six male Gayal (Bos frontalis), approximately two years of age and with a mean live weight of 203±17 kg (mean±standard deviation), were housed indoors in metabolism cages and fed bamboo (Sinarundinaria) leaves and twigs. After an adjustment period of 24 days of feeding the diet, samples of rumen liquor were obtained for analyses of bacteria in the liquor. The diversity of rumen bacteria was investigated by constructing a 16S rDNA clone library. A total of 147 clones, comprising nearly full length sequences (with a mean length of 1.5 kb) were sequenced and submitted to an on-line similarity search and phylogenetic analysis. Using the criterion of 97% or greater similarity with the sequences of known bacteria, 17 clones were identified as Ruminococcus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrosolvens, Quinella ovalis, Clostridium symbiosium, Succiniclasticum ruminis, Selenomonas ruminantium and Allisonella histaminiformans, respectively. A further 22 clones shared similarity ranging from 90-97% with known bacteria but the similarity in sequences for the remaining 109 clones was less than 90% of those of known bacteria. Using a phylogenetic analysis it was found that the majority of the clones identified (57.1%) were located in the low G+C subdivision, with most of the remainder (42.2% of clones) located in the Cytophage-Flexibacter-Bacteroides (CFB) phylum and one clone (0.7%) was identified as a Spirochaete. It was apparent that Gayal have a large and diverse range of bacteria in the rumen liquor which differ from those of cattle and other ruminants. This may explain the greater live weights of Gayal, compared to cattle, grazing in the harsh natural environments in which Gayal are located naturally.

BACKGROUND: The domestic pig currently indigenous to the Tibetan highlands is supposed to have been introduced during a continuous period of colonization by the ancestors of modern Tibetans. However, there is no direct genetic evidence of either the local origin or exotic migration of the Tibetan pig. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We analyzed mtDNA hypervariable segment I (HVI) variation of 218 individuals from seven Tibetan pig populations and 1,737 reported mtDNA sequences from domestic pigs and wild boars across Asia. The Bayesian consensus tree revealed a main haplogroup M and twelve minor haplogroups, which suggested a large number of small scale in situ domestication episodes. In particular, haplogroups D1 and D6 represented two highly divergent lineages in the Tibetan highlands and Island Southeastern Asia, respectively. Network analysis of haplogroup M further revealed one main subhaplogroup M1 and two minor subhaplogroups M2 and M3. Intriguingly, M2 was mainly distributed in Southeastern Asia, suggesting for a local origin. Similar with haplogroup D6, M3 was mainly restricted in Island Southeastern Asia. This pattern suggested that Island Southeastern Asia, but not Southeastern Asia, might be the center of domestication of the so-called Pacific clade (M3 and D6 here) described in previous studies. Diversity gradient analysis of major subhaplogroup M1 suggested three local origins in Southeastern Asia, the middle and downstream regions of the Yangtze River, and the Tibetan highlands, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We identified two new origin centers for domestic pigs in the Tibetan highlands and in the Island Southeastern Asian region.

Visible pigmentation phenotypes can be used to explore the regulation of gene expression and the evolution of coat color patterns in animals. Here, we performed whole-genome and RNA sequencing and applied genome-wide association study, comparative population genomics and biological experiments to show that the 2,809-bp-long LINE-1 insertion in the ASIP (agouti signaling protein) gene is the causative mutation for the white coat phenotype in swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). This LINE-1 insertion (3′ truncated and containing only 5′ UTR) functions as a strong proximal promoter that leads to a 10-fold increase in the transcription of ASIP in white buffalo skin. The 165 bp of 5′ UTR transcribed from the LINE-1 is spliced into the first coding exon of ASIP, resulting in a chimeric transcript. The increased expression of ASIP prevents melanocyte maturation, leading to the absence of pigment in white buffalo skin and hairs. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the white buffalo-specific ASIP allele originated from a recent genetic transposition event in swamp buffalo. Interestingly, as a similar LINE-1 insertion has been identified in the cattle ASIP gene, we discuss the convergent mechanism of coat color evolution in the Bovini tribe.

Three male Gayal (Bos frontalis) and three male Yunnan Yellow cattle (Bos taurus) were fed pelleted lucerne and measurements made of digestibility, nitrogen utilisation, rumen fermentation and microbial population and key plasma metabolites. Total actual dry matter intake was similar but when expressed in terms of live weight or metabolic live weight feed intakes were significantly higher (p

Three male Gayal, two years of age and with a mean live weight of 203±26 kg, and three adult Yunnan Yellow Cattle, with a mean live weight of 338±18 kg were fed a ration of pelleted lucerne hay and used to collect rumen fluid for in vitro measurements of digestibilities and gas production from fermentation of a range of forages. The forages were: bamboo stems, bamboo twigs, bamboo leaves, rice straw, barley straw, annual ryegrass hay, smooth vetch hay and pelleted lucerne hay. There were significant (p