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Biological nitrogen (N) fixation is a pivotal N source in N-deficient ecosystems. The Qinghai‒Tibet Plateau (QTP) region, which is assumed to be N limited and suboxic, is an ideal habitat for diazotrophs. However, the diazotrophic communities and associated N fixation rates in these high-altitude alpine permafrost QTP rivers remain largely unknown. Herein, we examined diazotrophic communities in the sediment and biofilm of QTP rivers via the nitrogenase (nifH) gene sequencing and assessed their N fixing activities via a 15 N isotope incubation assay. Strikingly, anaerobic heterotrophic diazotrophs, such as sulfate- and iron-reducing bacteria, had emerged as dominant N fixers. Remarkably, the nifH gene abundance and N fixation rates increased with altitude, and the average nifH gene abundance (2.57 ± 2.60 × 10 8 copies g -1 ) and N fixation rate (2.29 ± 3.36 nmol N g -1 d -1 ) surpassed that documented in most aquatic environments (nifH gene abundance: 1.31 × 10 5 ∼ 2.57 × 10 8 copies g -1 , nitrogen fixation rates: 2.34 × 10 -4 ∼ 4.11 nmol N g -1 d -1 ). Such distinctive heterotrophic diazotrophic communities and high N fixation potential in QTP rivers were associated with low-nitrogen, abundant organic carbon and unique C:N:P stoichiometries. Additionally, the significant presence of psychrophilic bacteria within the diazotrophic communities, along with the enhanced stability and complexity of the diazotrophic networks at higher altitudes, clearly demonstrate the adaptability of diazotrophic communities to extreme cold and high-altitude conditions in QTP rivers. We further determined that altitude, coupled with organic carbon and phosphorus, was the predominant driver shaping diazotrophic communities and their N-fixing activities. Overall, our study reveals high N fixation potential in N-deficient QTP rivers, which provides novel insights into nitrogen dynamics in alpine permafrost rivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The exploitation and utilization of coal resources have significantly contributed to global energy security. However, this mining activity has inflicted considerable damage on the ecological environment, particularly on the Tibetan Plateau, where the impact on ecosystems may be even more detrimental. The implementation of high-intensity mining activities leads to rapid changes in land cover/land use. Consequently, it is essential to accurately and effectively monitor mining disturbances. In this study, we propose an approach to capture surface mining disturbances using spatial-temporal rules and time series stacks of Landsat data. First, a time series of annual mining disturbance probability was generated based on Landsat temporal-spectral metrics and random forest. Second, the Landsat-based detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr) algorithm was employed to segment the time series and detect breakpoints. Finally, mining disturbances were captured by further restricting the output of LandTrendr based on spatial-temporal rules of mining disturbances. This approach was applied and evaluated in the Muli mining area of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, which experienced large-scale and rapid mining disturbances from 2004 to 2014, and identified a disturbed mining area of 43.62 km 2 . The mining sites have been reclaimed after mining, and all reclamation work was done after 2016, with a total reclaimed area of 22.28 km 2 . The validation results indicated that the overall accuracy of mining disturbance and reclamation mapping ranges from 0.7333 to 0.8667, and the F1 scores for mining disturbances and reclamation range from 0.7551 to 0.8723. This study provides a reliable framework for monitoring mining disturbances and reclamation in surface mines, promising to be useful in realizing disturbance monitoring in surface mines for a wide range of mineral types., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Subsoil is a large organic carbon reservoir, storing more than half of the total soil organic carbon (SOC) globally. Conventionally, subsoil is assumed to not be susceptible to climate change, but recent studies document that climate change could significantly alter subsoil carbon cycling. However, little is known about subsoil microbial responses to the interactive effects of climate warming and altered precipitation. Here, we investigated carbon cycling and associated microbial responses in both subsoil (30-40 cm) and topsoil (0-10 cm) in a Tibetan alpine grassland over 4 years of warming and altered precipitation. Compared to the unchanged topsoil carbon (β = .55, p = .587), subsoil carbon exhibited a stronger response to the interactive effect of warming and altered precipitation (β = 2.04, p = .021), that is, warming decreased subsoil carbon content by 28.20% under decreased precipitation while warming increased subsoil carbon content by 18.02% under increased precipitation.Furthermore, 512 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were recovered, including representatives of phyla with poor genomic representation. Compared to only one changed topsoil MAG, 16 subsoil MAGs were significantly affected by altered precipitation, and 5 subsoil MAGs were significantly affected by the interactive effect of warming and precipitation. More than twice as many populations whose MAG abundances correlated significantly with the variations of carbon content, components and fluxes were observed in the subsoil than topsoil, suggesting their potential contribution in mediating subsoil carbon cycling. Collectively, our findings highlight the more sensitive responses of specific microbial lineages to the interactive effects of warming and altered precipitation in the subsoil than topsoil, and provide key information for predicting subsoil carbon cycling under future climate change scenarios., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) constitutes a fragile and sensitive ecological environment, which is vulnerable to global climate change and human activities. To investigate the anthropogenic effects on the TP's environmental system is valuable for guiding human responses and adaptations to future environmental changes. In this study, we detailedly analyzed the geochemical elements of four representative soil sections developed on loess from Ganzi, Jinchuan, Aba, and Chuanzhusi in the eastern TP. The chemical elemental profiles distinctly indicated the presence of typical anthropogenic elements (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Mn, and Fe), underscoring the substantial influence of human activities on TP soil, and showing spatial variance. Our results indicate that anthropogenic impacts were relatively low at Aba and Ganzi, resulting in a deficit of anthropogenic elements at the surface layer. Whereas at Jinchuan and Chuanzhusi, relatively intense anthropogenic impacts have led to the enrichment of anthropogenic elements in the topsoil. We infer that agricultural activities, increased traffic, and expansion of tourism activities were the major factors affecting the anthropogenic elements of TP soils. Our study highlights the impact of human activities on soil geochemical processes in the Tibetan Plateau., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The relationships between α-diversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) have been extensively examined. However, it remains unknown how spatial heterogeneity of microbial community, i.e., microbial β-diversity within a region, shapes ecosystem functioning. Here, we examined microbial community compositions and soil respiration (Rs) along an elevation gradient of 853-4420 m a.s.l. in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, which is renowned as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. There were significant distance-decay relationships for both bacterial and fungal communities. Stochastic processes played a dominant role in shaping bacterial and fungal community compositions, while soil temperature was the most important environmental factor that affected microbial communities. We evaluated BEF relationships based on α-diversity measured by species richness and β-diversity measured by community dispersions, revealing significantly positive correlations between microbial β-diversities and Rs. These correlations became stronger with increasing sample size, differing from those between microbial α-diversities and Rs. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), we found that soil temperature, soil moisture, and total nitrogen were the most important edaphic properties in explaining Rs. Meanwhile, stochastic processes (e.g., homogenous dispersal and dispersal limitation) significantly mediated effects between microbial β-diversities and Rs. Microbial α-diversity poorly explained Rs, directly or indirectly. In a nutshell, we identified a previously unknown BEF relationship between microbial β-diversity and Rs. By complementing common practices to examine BEF with α-diversity, we demonstrate that a focus on β-diversity could be leveraged to explain Rs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Large amounts of carbon sequestered in permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are becoming vulnerable to microbial decomposition in a warming world. However, knowledge about how the responsible microbial community responds to warming-induced permafrost thaw on the TP is still limited. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive comparison of the microbial communities and their functional potential in the active layer of thawing permafrost on the TP. We found that the microbial communities were diverse and varied across soil profiles. The microbial diversity declined and the relative abundance of Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Euryarchaeota, and Bathyarchaeota significantly increased with permafrost thawing. Moreover, warming reduced the similarity and stability of active layer microbial communities. The high-throughput qPCR results showed that the abundance of functional genes involved in liable carbon degradation and methanogenesis increased with permafrost thawing. Notably, the significantly increased mcrA gene abundance and the higher methanogens to methanotrophs ratio implied enhanced methanogenic activities during permafrost thawing. Overall, the composition and functional potentials of the active layer microbial community in the Tibetan permafrost region are susceptible to warming. These changes in the responsible microbial community may accelerate carbon degradation, particularly in the methane releases from alpine permafrost ecosystems on the TP., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.)

Groundwater is a vital source of drinking water for Tibetans. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and bacterial communities in groundwater on the Tibetan Plateau remain unclear. Furthermore, the characterization of their differences between high-altitude and low-altitude groundwater is still unrevealed. Herein, 32 groundwater samples were collected on the plateau, and intra- and extracellular ARGs (iARGs and eARGs), and bacterial communities were characterised through qPCR assays to 19 ARGs and 16S rRNA sequencing. It showed top four abundant intra- and extracellular last-resort ARGs (LARGs) were bla OXA-48 , mcr-1, vanA, and vanB, whereas dominant common ARGs (CARGs) were tetA and ermB, respectively. CARGs had higher abundances than LARGs, and iARGs were more frequently detected than eARGs. Proteobacteria, an invasive resident phylum, and Firmicutes dominated eDNA release. Network analysis revealed all observed LARGs co-occurred with pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. Community diversity was significantly associated with longitude and elevation, while nitrate correlated with ARGs. Comparative analysis demonstrated eARG frequencies and abundances were higher at high altitudes than at low altitudes. Additionally, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas specifically dominated at high altitudes. This study reveals the widespread prevalence of ARGs, particularly LARGs, in groundwater on the less-disturbed Tibetan Plateau and underlines the potential risks associated with the LARG-carrying bacteria. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which are defined as emerging environmental contaminants, are becoming a global concern due to their ability to confer antibiotic resistance to pathogens. Our findings highlight the prevalence of ARGs, particularly LARGs, in groundwater on the Tibetan Plateau, and the possibility that naturally-occurring pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria carry multiple LARGs. In addition, we further reveal differences in the distribution of ARGs and bacterial community between high-altitude and low-altitude groundwater. Collectively, our findings offer an important insight into the potential public risks related to groundwater on the Tibetan Plateau., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants, and limited research has focused on their exposure to terrestrial wildlife and transport mode on the remote Tibetan Plateau (TP). Therefore, we investigated MPs in the southern soil and feces of Equus kiang (Tibetan wild ass), a species peculiar to the TP, which is known as the "third pole." We found that MP median abundances were 102 and 4.01 particles/g of dry feces and soil, respectively. In both media, the MP morphology mainly comprised ∼50 μm slender fibrous particles. In total, 29 MP types were identified in the feces, compared to 26 types in the soil. Among them, the acrylate copolymer (35.9%) and polyurethane (24.9%) were predominant in the feces, while polyurethane (22.5%) and silicone (20.4%) were predominant in the soil. After ingesting MPs at one location, E. kiang may become a source of MP pollution when moving to other meadows on the TP. The potential MP transport flux of a herd of 20 kiangs has been estimated at 1736 particles m -2 a -1 . A unique "source-sink-source" MP transport model comprising an "atmospheric deposition-vegetation-feces-atmosphere" cycle on the TP was observed based on atmospheric transport simulations and terrestrial food chain transfer processes. Owing to human settlements in south and East Asia adjacent to the TP, atmospheric long-distance transmission is an essential route for MPs to enter the TP.

The psychological effects of long-term exposure to high-altitude environments have attracted great attention. These effects are usually attributed to the diminished cognitive resources due to high-altitude exposure. This study employed electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the effects of exposure duration on awareness detection tasks. Neither reaction time nor accuracy showed the direct effects of the exposure duration, so did the model indexes obtained from drift diffusion model analysis. However, event-related potentials (ERP) analysis revealed that exposure duration was associated with changes in the visual awareness negativity (VAN) and the late positivity (LP) components, which in turn affected reaction time. Specifically, longer exposure durations were associated with lower VAN and higher LP, resulting in shorter reaction times and greater drift rate. In contrast to previous studies, the reverse relationship between VAN and LP may reflect a compensatory response to the reduced cognitive resources caused by high-altitude exposure. Additionally, increased LP and shorter reaction times with exposure duration may reflect a resistance to the high-altitude environment. We also conducted time-frequency analysis and found that theta power did not vary with exposure duration, suggesting that the reduction in cognitive resources remains stable in these individuals over time. Overall, our study provides new insights into the dynamic effects of high-altitude environments on awareness detection in the presence of reduced cognitive resources., (Copyright © 2023 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The timing of phenological events is highly sensitive to climate change, and may influence ecosystem structure and function. Although changes in flowering phenology among species under climate change have been reported widely, how species-specific shifts will affect phenological synchrony and community-level phenology patterns remains unclear. We conducted a manipulative experiment of warming and precipitation addition and reduction to explore how climate change affected flowering phenology at the species and community levels in an alpine meadow on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that warming advanced the first and last flowering times differently and with no consistent shifts in flowering duration among species, resulting in the entire flowering period of species emerging earlier in the growing season. Early-flowering species were more sensitive to warming than mid- and late-flowering species, thereby reducing flowering synchrony among species and extending the community-level flowering season. However, precipitation and its interactions with warming had no significant effects on flowering phenology. Our results suggest that temperature regulates flowering phenology from the species to community levels in this alpine meadow community, yet how species shifted their flowering timing and duration in response to warming varied. This species-level divergence may reshape flowering phenology in this alpine plant community. Decreasing flowering synchrony among species and the extension of community-level flowering seasons under warming may alter future trophic interactions, with cascading consequences to community and ecosystem function., (© 2022 The Ecological Society of America.)

The exploitation of polymetallic deposits produces large amounts of mine drainage, which poses great challenges to the surrounding aquatic ecosystem. However, the prokaryotic microbial community assembly and co-existence patterns in the polluted area are poorly understood, especially in high-altitude localities. Herein, we investigated the prokaryotic microbial assembly, co-existence patterns and their potential functional responses in surrounding river sediments of a Cu-polymetallic deposit in Tibet. The sediments from mine drainage and surrounding tributaries exhibited distinct geochemical gradients, especially the changes in Cu content. The microbial community structure changed significantly, accompanied by decreased richness and diversity with increased Cu content. Interestingly, the relative abundances of some potential functional bacteria (e.g., Planctomycetota) actually increased as the Cu levels raised. In low contaminated area, ecological drift was the most important assembly process, whereas deterministic processes gained importance with pollution levels. Meanwhile, negative interactions in co-occurrence networks were more frequent with higher modularity and reduced keystone taxa in high contaminated area. Notably, the functions related to ABC transporters and quorum sensing (QS) were more abundant with high Cu content, which helped bacteria work together to cope with the stressful environment. Taken together, the physicochemical gradients dominated by Cu content drove the distribution, assembly and co-existence patterns of microbial communities in surrounding river sediments of a Cu-polymetallic deposit. These findings provide new insights into the maintenance mechanisms of prokaryotic microbial communities in response to heavy metal stress at high altitudes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau store 23.2 Pg soil organic carbon, which becomes susceptible to microbial degradation with climate warming. However, accurate prediction of how the soil carbon stock changes under future climate warming is hampered by our limited understanding of belowground complex microbial communities. Here, we show that 4 years of warming strongly stimulated methane (CH 4 ) uptake by 93.8% and aerobic respiration (CO 2 ) by 11.3% in the soils of alpine grassland ecosystem. Due to no significant effects of warming on net ecosystem CO 2 exchange (NEE), the warming-stimulated CH 4 uptake enlarged the carbon sink capacity of whole ecosystem. Furthermore, precipitation alternation did not alter such warming effects, despite the significant effects of precipitation on NEE and soil CH 4 fluxes were observed. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that warming led to significant shifts in the overall microbial community structure and the abundances of functional genes, which contrasted to no detectable changes after 2 years of warming. Carbohydrate utilization genes were significantly increased by warming, corresponding with significant increases in soil aerobic respiration. Increased methanotrophic genes and decreased methanogenic genes were observed under warming, which significantly (R 2  = .59, p < .001) correlated with warming-enhanced CH 4 uptakes. Furthermore, 212 metagenome-assembled genomes were recovered, including many populations involved in the degradation of various organic matter and a highly abundant methylotrophic population of the Methyloceanibacter genus. Collectively, our results provide compelling evidence that specific microbial functional traits for CH 4 and CO 2 cycling processes respond to climate warming with differential effects on soil greenhouse gas emissions. Alpine grasslands may play huge roles in mitigating climate warming through such microbially enhanced CH 4 uptake., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Revegetation of exposed sub-soil, while a desirable recovery strategy, often fails due to extreme soil chemical properties, such as low organic matter and pH levels. Microalgae play a key role in maintaining water quality in the lakes and rivers on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Plateau microalgae have extensive application prospects in environmental purification, biotechnology, medicine and cosmetics, food industry, and renewable energy. To identify the high biomass of microalgae present in nature, microalgae with the greatest biomass were screened from natural water samples through filtration, pre-culture, and plate scribing separation. Following identification via 18S rRNA sequencing as for the Desmodesmus sp., we constructed a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. The novel Desmodesmus sp. from the Tibetan Yamdrok Lake were identified through polyphasic taxonomy. Simultaneously, the sequence of the experimental samples and the target species were shown different following the identification and analysis of SNP and InDel loci. The light-absorbing properties of plateau Desmodesmus sp. have been investigated previously. The characteristic absorption peak of Desmodesmus sp. on the plateau was measured at 689 nm in the visible spectrum using full wavelength scanning with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. For Desmodesmus sp. which is prone to settling in the process of amplification culture. By monitoring the change trend of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, pH and electrical conductivity in algae solution system, we determined that the logarithmic growth phase and the best transfer window of Desmodesmus sp. were at 15-20 days. This study can provide basic research methods for the study of microalgae in high altitude areas, and lay a foundation for the later study and application of microalgae., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Six Gram-stain-positive, aerobic and irregular-rod-shaped actinobacteria (ZJ1313 T , ZJ1307, MC1495 T , Y192, 603 T and X2025) were isolated from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China and were characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic method. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the six new strains formed three distinct clusters within the genus Nocardioides , and strains ZJ1313 T and ZJ1307 were most closely related to N. solisilvae JCM 31492 T (16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 98.0 %), MC1495 T and Y192 to N. houyundeii 78 T (98.5 %), and 603 T and X2025 to N. dokdonensis JCM 14815 T (97.6 %). The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of strains ZJ1313 T , MC1495 T and 603 T among each other and with type strains of their closest relatives were all below the 70 % cut-off point, but values within each pair of new strains were all higher than the threshold. The major fatty acids of these strains were iso-C 16 : 0 , C 17 : 1  ω 8 c or C 18 : 1  ω 9 c . MK-8(H 4 ) was the predominant respiratory menaquinone and ʟʟ-2,6-diaminopimelic acid was the diagnostic diamino acid. All the strains shared diphosphatidylglycerol (predominant), phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol as the common polar lipids, with minor difference in the types of unidentified phospholipids, glycolipids and lipids. The G+C contents based on genomic DNA of strains ZJ1313 T , MC1495 T and 603 T were 72.5, 72.1 and 73.2 mol%, respectively. The above results suggested that strain pairs ZJ1313 T /ZJ1307, MC1495 T /Y192 and 603 T /X2025 represent three new species of genus Nocardioides , for which the names Nocardioides ochotonae sp. nov. (ZJ1313 T =GDMCC 4.177 T =KCTC 49537 T =JCM 34185 T ), Nocardioides campestrisoli sp. nov. (MC1495 T =GDMCC 4.176 T =KCTC 49536 T =JCM 34307 T ) and Nocardioides pantholopis sp. nov. (603 T =CGMCC 4.7510 T =DSM 106494 T ) are proposed accordingly.

Arsenic-affected aquifers are broadly found in floodplains of South Asia and Southeast Asia, which are supplied by rivers that originate from the Tibetan Plateau. Earlier investigations have ascertained the Arsenic (As) enrichment of river water in the Tibetan Plateau. However, the source, migration, and flux of As in catchment-scale have not been well constrained. In this study, determinations have been made of As and other chemical components in geothermal spring, rock, river water, and suspended particulate material in the Xiangqu River basin, a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The study has shown that the main stream waters contain a high concentration of dissolved As (>10 μg/L), whereas the majority of tributaries present a relatively low dissolved concentration (<10 μg/L), with the highest dissolved As levels occurring during the low-flow period (April to June) and the lowest during the high-flow period (July to September). Moreover, the study has found that with the geothermal spring discharge in the upper reaches being the principal source of dissolved As, the proportion of As derived from rock weathering increases during the high-flow period, and the decrease of dissolved As concentration in the main stream is dominated by the adsorption process in the upper reaches and the mixing of tributary water in the lower reaches. The particulate As is temporally stable throughout the sampling period. Due to the high erosion rate during the high-flow period, the annual As flux is ~76.8 t/yr and As is primarily transported as particulate (~79%). Furthermore, the contribution of weathering (58-62%) is more than that of geothermal spring discharge (38-42%) to the total As in river water. Overall, this study has highlighted a non-conservative As behavior in the upper reaches of river flows in a geothermal field on the Tibetan Plateau., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A novel Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and non-nitrogen fixing bacterium named T786 T was isolated from a highland barley cultivation soil in Qamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region, PR China. Strain T786 T grew at 5-30 ℃ and pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, 20-25 ℃ and pH 7.0-8.0) with 0-4% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0%). The 16S rRNA gene sequences of strain T786 T showed the highest similarity to Neorhizobium vignae CCBAU 05176 T (98.7%), followed by Neorhizobium alkalisoli CCBAU 01393 T (98.5%), Neorhizobium tomejilense T17&#95;20 T (98.4%), Neorhizobium huautlense S02 T (98.4%), and Neorhizobium galegae ATCC 43677 T (98.0%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA genes indicated that strain T786 T was a new member of the genus Neorhizobium. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain T786 T and related strains were estimated as 20.2-20.6% and 76.6-80.0%, respectively. The genomic DNA G + C content based on the draft genome sequence was 60.2%. The major cellular fatty acids were Summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c or C 18:1 ω6c), C 16:0 and Summed feature 3 (C 16:1 ω7c or C 16:1 ω6c). The polar lipids were diphosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl methyl ethanolamine, unidentified phospholipid and unidentified lipids (1-4). The isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-10. The DAP and sugar components of cell wall were meso-DAP and ribose, glucose, respectively. Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic, and genotypic data, for which the name Neorhizobium xiangyangii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is T786 T (= JCM 35100 T  = CICC 25102 T )., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Seasonal energy intake of Tibetan sheep on the harsh Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) fluctuates greatly and is often well below maintenance requirements. The aim of this study was to gain insight into how the hypothalamus regulates energy homoeostasis in Tibetan sheep. We compared Tibetan and Small-tailed Han sheep (n 24 of each breed), which were each allocated randomly into four groups and offered one of four diets that differed in digestible energy densities: 8·21, 9·33, 10·45 and 11·57 MJ/kg DM. Sheep were weighed every 2 weeks, and it was assumed that the change in body weight (BW) reflected the change in energy balance. The arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus in Tibetan sheep had greater protein expressions of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) when in negative energy balance, but lesser protein expressions of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) when in positive energy balance than Small-tailed Han sheep. As a result, Tibetan sheep had a lesser BW loss when in negative energy balance and stored more energy and gained more BW when in positive energy balance than Small-tailed Han sheep with the same dietary intake. Moreover, in the hypothalamic adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulation pathway, Tibetan sheep had greater adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase-α 2 protein expression than Small-tailed Han sheep, which supported the premise of a better ability to regulate energy homoeostasis and better growth performance. These differences in the hypothalamic NPY/AgRP, POMC/CART and AMPK pathways between breeds conferred an advantage to the Tibetan over Small-tailed Han sheep to cope with low energy intake on the harsh QTP.

Glacier collapse is a fairly new type of glacier-related disasters on the Asian Water Towers (AWTs) in the warming climate. On 16 October and 29 October 2018, two glacier collapses occurred in the Sedongpu Basin, 7 km downstream from Gyala Village, Paizhen Town, Miling County, on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YTR). The ice and entrained debris flows caused by the glacier collapses blocked the YTR, resulting in a potential threat to residents and transport lines upstream and downstream. Through post-event field investigations with a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), remote sensing interpretation, and seismic, hydrological, and meteorological observations, the process and potential mechanisms of the glacier collapse-induced river blocking (GCRB) disasters were investigated. We confirmed that the first glacier collapse event occurred at 22:48 (Beijing time) on 16 October 2018 and the second began at 08:03 on 29 October 2018. Approximately 130 × 10 6  m 3 of ice and debris detached from the glacier during the glacier collapse, and we calculated that the river blocking fans caused by the first and second glacier collapse event covered ~1.36 km 2 and ~ 1.29 km 2 on the main watercourse of the YTR, respectively. We determined that the GCRB incidents represent a disaster chain of glacier collapse → glacial debris flow → river blockage → dammed lake → outburst flood. These incidents arise due to a combination of factors, including glacier activity, climate warming, heavy precipitation, pre-seismic activity, and high topographic relief. In the context of climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau, such glacier collapse induced disaster chains will continue or even intensify in the future. To protect against glacier collapse disasters in the Grand Canyon on the YTR, we established a monitoring and early warning system (EWS), which has already successfully sounded alerts for GCRB incidents. As a major element of an integrated risk management strategy, the EWS represents a viable and promising tool for mitigating climate change-related risks., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Driven by increasingly stringent regulations on the legacy poly/perfluoroalkyl (PFASs), a variety of fluorinated alternatives have emerged on the market. Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays an important role in accumulation of organic pollutants due to its high altitude and wet deposition. In this study, the occurrence, spatial distribution and sources of PFASs in the TP soils were investigated. The total concentrations of PFASs ranged from 0.814-4.51 ng/g in the TP soils, with the identification of a variety of novel PFASs, including fluorotelomer sulfonates (FTSs), chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (Cl-PFESAs), and hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) homologues. Generally, the PFAS concentrations exhibited an increase trend from the west to east, and gradually increased with the altitude increasing, suggesting the impacts of human activities and mountain cold-trapping. The PFASs decreased with the increase of soil depth, but at different extents, which were related to their occurrence time, interactions with organic matters, and microbial transformation in soil. Most of the PFASs were present as free fractions in soil, particularly for the short-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), implying that they were liable to be accumulated in organisms and transport to groundwater. Multiple source apportionment analyses indicated that PFASs in the soil of TP were not only derived from the local pollution, but also from the atmospheric migration influenced by Indian Monsoon and westerly winds., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gut microbes play an important role in the growth and development of fish. The Tibetan Plateau fish Glyptosternum maculatum is a unique species of sisorid catfish living in the river up to 4200 m altitude., Results: To understand the mechanisms underlying the ability of G. maculatum to adapt to the high-altitude habitat, the intestinal microbiota of G. maculatum was studied. We used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of intestinal microorganisms of wild and cultured G. maculatum to explore the characteristics of intestinal microorganisms and compared the gut microbial community of wild and cultured G. maculatum. The results showed that the α-diversity and richness of the intestinal microbiome were higher in wild G. maculatum than in cultured fish. The most abundant phylum in both G. maculatum were Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes; Cetobacterium and Cupriavidus are the most dominant genus. The membership and structure of intestinal bacterial communities in wild G. maculatum are similar to the cultured fish, suggesting that a core microbiota is present in both G. maculatum intestinal bacterial communities. Metastats analysis showed that six genera were differentially represented between the wild and cultured G. maculatum., Conclusions: The most interesting characteristic of the intestinal microbial communities of G. maculatum is that there were large numbers of Cupriavidus, which may play an important role in the adaptation of G. maculatum to the water of the Yarlung Zangbo River with a high Cu content. This result, in turn, can guide us on breeding G. maculatum., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Phosphorus (P) is essential for productivity of alpine grassland ecosystems, which are sensitive to global warming. We tested the hypotheses that (1) mobilized 'calcium-bound inorganic P' (Ca-P i ) is a major source of plant-available P in alpine meadows with alkaline soils after long-term warming, (2) mobilization of Ca-P i is linked to effective plant carboxylate-releasing P-acquisition strategies under warming, and (3) the mobilization is also related to plant nitrogen (N)-acquisition. We conducted an 8-year warming experiment in an alpine meadow (4635 m above sea level) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A significant increase in P concentration in both aboveground and belowground biomass indicates an increased mobilization and assimilation of P by plants under warming. We observed a significant decrease in Ca-P i , no change in moderately-labile organic P, and an increase in highly resistant organic P after warming. There was no increase in phosphatase activities. Our results indicate that Ca-P i , rather than organic P was the major source of plant-available P for alpine meadows under warming. Higher leaf manganese concentrations of sedges and forbs after warming indicate that carboxylates released by these plants are a key mechanism of Ca-P i mobilization. The insignificant increase in Rhizobiales after warming and the very small cover of legumes show a minor role of N-acquisition strategies in solubilizing phosphate. The insignificant change in relative abundance of mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria related to P cycling after warming shows a small contribution of microorganisms to Ca-P i mobilization. The significant increase in leaf N and P concentrations and N:P ratio of grasses and no change in sedge leaf N:P ratio reflect distinct responses of plant nutrient status to warming due to differences in P-acquisition strategies. We highlight the important effects of belowground P-acquisition strategies, especially plant carboxylate-releasing P-acquisition strategies on responses of plants to global changes in alpine meadows., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, as three of the most prevalent chronic diseases, remain a daunting health challenge. However, to our knowledge, no study has made a thorough examination of the association between the three chronic diseases and daytime napping, a widely accepted behavior in many countries. This is especially necessary among Tibetan populations, whose lifestyles and health outcomes may be unique, yet patterns of chronic diseases and napping are under-examined. Thus, we sought to explore the aforementioned association in the Tibetan population of China., Methods: A total of 2902 participants aged 45-79 in 2019 were included. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted in 2020. The sex disparity was examined through interaction and stratified analyses., Results: Hypertension (40.7%) was more prevalent than obesity (20.2%) and diabetes (21.6%). Comparing to non-nappers, those who napped were more likely to have any conditions (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.04-1.62 for 1-59 min/day group and OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.10-1.80 for ≥60 min/day group). Participants who had 1-59 min/day of napping were more likely to develop obesity (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.07-1.75), and ≥ 60 min/day of napping was associated with diabetes (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.01-1.74). The interactions between napping and sex were not statistically significant in the models., Conclusions: The study revealed napping was unfavorably associated with obesity, diabetes, and any conditions in Tibetan people living on the Tibetan Plateau. Future interventions regarding the three chronic diseases may pay more attention to napping., Trial Registration: Not applicable., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Salix cupularis is a common shrub for ecological restoration of the desertified alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. However, the effect of S. cupularis on spatial heterogeneity of soil resources (i.e., resource islands effect) has not been systematically evaluated, and the influence of shrub patches on the rehabilitation of understory herbs has also been unknown. In this study, we randomly selected S. cupularis individuals in the early restoration stage of desertified alpine meadow, where the three native forages (Elymus nutans, Elymus sibiricus and Festuca sinensis) were sown at different microsites around S. cupularis to explore the effects of S. cupularis on soil resources and emergence rates of the native forages. The results showed that S. cupularis significantly increased SWC (soil water content), C (carbon) and N (nitrogen) nutrients (p < 0.01) and enzyme activities (p < 0.05) under canopy compared with the bare land, and the improvement performed better in the topsoil (0-5 cm) than in the subtop-soil (5-15 cm). Moreover, the soil properties were affected significantly by microsites around S. cupularis, resulting in regular changes of SWC, nutrients and enzyme activities in different microsites (Shrub center > Middle of canopy radius > Bare land). In addition, there are significant regression relationships between emergence rates and enriching soil water, C and N nutrients, so the emergence rates of native forages under canopy may be improved significantly with the enriched soil resources, especially for E. nutans. As a result, S. cupularis is a suitable pioneer shrub for the vegetation restoration of desertified alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, because it could not only shape the enrichment of soil resources under canopy, but also facilitate emergence of companion forages in the process of vegetation restoration., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Six novel strains (ZJ34 T , ZJ561, ZJ750 T , ZJ1629, zg-993 T and zg-987) isolated from faeces and respiratory tracts of Marmota himalayana from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of PR China were characterized comprehensively. The results of analyses of the 16S rRNA gene and genome sequences indicated that the six strains represent three novel species of the genus Actinomyces , and are closely related to Actinomyces urogenitalis DSM 15434 T (16S rRNA gene sequences similarities, 94.9-98.7 %), Actinomyces weissii CCUG 61299 T (95.6-96.6 %), Actinomyces bovis CCTCC AB2010168 T (95.7 %) and Actinomyces bowdenii DSM 15435 T (95.2-96.4 %), with values of digital DNA-DNA hybridization less than 30.1 % when compared with their closest relatives but higher than 70 % within each pair of novel strains (ZJ34 T /ZJ561, ZJ750 T /ZJ1629 and zg-993 T /zg-987). All the novel strains had C 18 : 1 ω 9 c and C 16 : 0 as the two most abundant major fatty acids. MK-9(H 4 ) or MK-8(H 4 ) was the sole or predominant respiratory quinone of strains ZJ34 T , ZJ750 T and zg-993 T and their polar lipid profiles differed, but all had diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidyl inositol mannoside as major components. ZJ750 T shared identical peptidoglycan amino acid profile with ZJ34 T (alanine, glutamic acid, lysine and ornithine) and the same whole-cell sugar composition with zg-993 T (glucose, rhamnose and ribose). Strain zg-993 T contained alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine and lysine in the peptidoglycan, and the only sugar in ZJ34 T was ribose. The DNA G+C contents of the novel strains were within the range of 65.8-70.1 mol%. On the basis of the results from the aforementioned analyses, the six novel strains were classified as representing three novel species of genus Actinomyces , for which the names Actinomyces faecalis sp. nov. [type strain ZJ34 T (=GDMCC 1.1952 T =JCM 34355 T )] , Actinomyces respiraculi sp. nov. [type strain ZJ750 T (=GDMCC 1.1950 T =JCM 34356 T )] and Actinomyces trachealis sp. nov. [type strain zg-993 T (=GDMCC 1.1956 T =JCM 34357 T )] were proposed, respectively.

High amounts of deposited nitrogen (N) dramatically influence the stability and functions of alpine ecosystems by changing soil microbial community functions, but the mechanism is still unclear. To investigate the impacts of increased N deposition on microbial community functions, a 2-year multilevel N addition (0, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 kg N ha -1  year -1 ) field experiment was set up in an alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau. Soil microbial functional genes (GeoChip 4.6), together with soil enzyme activity, soil organic compounds and environmental variables, were used to explore the response of microbial community functions to N additions. The results showed that the N addition rate of 40 kg N ha -1  year -1 was the critical value for soil microbial functional genes in this alpine steppe. A small amount of added N (≤40 kg N ha -1  year -1 ) had no significant effects on the abundance of microbial functional genes, while high amounts of added N (>40 kg N ha -1  year -1 ) significantly increased the abundance of soil organic carbon degradation genes. Additionally, the abundance of microbial functional genes associated with NH 4 + , including ammonification, N fixation and assimilatory nitrate reduction pathways, was significantly increased under high N additions. Further, high N additions also increased soil organic phosphorus utilization, which was indicated by the increase in the abundance of phytase genes and alkaline phosphatase activity. Plant richness, soil NO 2 - /NH 4 + and WSOC/WSON were significantly correlated with the abundance of microbial functional genes, which drove the changes in microbial community functions under N additions. These findings help us to predict that increased N deposition in the future may alter soil microbial functional structure, which will lead to changes in microbially-mediated biogeochemical dynamics in alpine steppes on the Tibetan Plateau and will have extraordinary impacts on microbial C, N and P cycles., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Sleep plays an important role in the health and well-being of middle aged and elderly people, and social capital may be one of the important factors for sleep disorders. This study aimed to understand the relationship between social capital and sleep disorders in a unique region of China -Tibet that generally has the disadvantaged economic status compared to other parts of China., Methods: The study was based on Tibetan data from The China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) and was conducted from May 2018 to September 2019. A total of 3194 Tibetans aged > 50 were selected from the community population by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling. Social capital was measured using two validated health-related social capital scales, family/community and society.. Sleep disorders were measured as the presence of disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, or daytime dysfunction. Logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between social capital and sleep disorders., Results: 39.9% (1271/3194) of the participants had sleep disorders. In addition, after controlling for all potential variables, family social capital was significantly negatively associated with sleep disorders (OR = 0.95, P < 0.05), while community and society social capital was not associated with sleep disorders. Then, when we did all the sex-stratified analyses, the significant association between social capital and sleep disorders was found only in women (OR = 0.94, P < 0.05), while no association was found in males; neither males nor females showed any association with community and society social capital., Conclusion: Our study would help to better understand the extent of health inequality in China, and guide future interventions, strategies and policies to promote sleep quality in low-income areas, taking into account both the role of Tibetan specific cultural traditions, lifestyles and religious beliefs in social capital and the gender differences in social capital.

The soil bacterial communities have been widely investigated. However, there has been little study of the bacteria in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, especially about the culturable bacteria in highland barley cultivation soil. Here, a total of 830 individual strains were obtained at 4°C and 25°C from a highland barley cultivation soil in Qamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region, using fifteen kinds of media. Seventy-seven species were obtained, which belonged to 42 genera and four phyla; the predominant phylum was Actinobacteria (68.82%), followed by Proteobacteria (15.59%), Firmicutes (14.29%), and Bacteroidetes (1.30%). The predominant genus was Streptomyces (22.08%, 17 species), followed by Bacillus (6.49%, five species), Micromonospora (5.19%, four species), Microbacterium (5.19%, four species), and Kribbella (3.90%, three species). The most diverse isolates belonged to a high G+C Gram-positive group; in particular, the Streptomyces genus is a dominant genus in the high G+C Gram-positive group. There were 62 species and 33 genera bacteria isolated at 25°C (80.52%), 23 species, and 18 genera bacteria isolated at 4°C (29.87%). Meanwhile, only eight species and six genera bacteria could be isolated at 25°C and 4°C. Of the 77 species, six isolates related to six genera might be novel taxa. The results showed abundant bacterial species diversity in the soil sample from the Qamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors do not report any financial or personal connections with other persons or organizations, which might negatively affect the contents of this publication and/or claim authorship rights to this publication, (© 2021 Hu Pan et al.)

Soil microorganisms are sensitive to temperature in cold ecosystems, but it remains unclear how microbial responses are modulated by other important climate drivers, such as precipitation changes. Here, we examine the effects of six in situ warming and/or precipitation treatments in alpine grasslands on microbial communities, plants, and soil carbon fluxes. These treatments differentially affected soil carbon fluxes, gross primary production, and microbial communities. Variations of soil CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes across all sites significantly ( r  >   0.70, P < 0.050) correlated with relevant microbial functional abundances but not bacterial or fungal abundances. Given tight linkages between microbial functional traits and ecosystem functionality, we conclude that future soil carbon fluxes in alpine grasslands can be predicted by microbial carbon-degrading capacities. IMPORTANCE The warming pace in the Tibetan Plateau, which is predominantly occupied by grassland ecosystems, has been 0.2°C per decade in recent years, dwarfing the rate of global warming by a factor of 2. Many Earth system models project substantial carbon sequestration in Tibet, which has been observed. Here, we analyzed microbial communities under projected climate changes by 2100. As the soil "carbon pump," the growth and activity of microorganisms can largely influence soil carbon dynamics. However, microbial gene response to future climate scenarios is still obscure. We showed that the abundances of microbial functional genes, but not microbial taxonomy, were correlated with carbon fluxes and ecosystem multifunctionality. By identifying microbial traits linking to ecosystem functioning, our results can guide the assessment of future soil carbon fluxes in alpine grasslands, a critical step toward mitigating climate changes., (Copyright © 2021 Qi et al.)

Aims: To measure the number of days of enamel formation between periodic striae of Retzius growth lines, the Retzius periodicity (RP), and to compare this multi-day, or multidien rhythm, to body height and weight among people from Beijing, China and Lhasa, Tibet/China., Subjects and Methods: Subjects requiring dental extractions from clinics in Beijing, China ( N  = 338) and Lhasa, Tibet/China ( N  = 227) provided a tooth and body size information. Multiple observers examined histological sections of the teeth and recorded RP. RP values were statistically compared to body height and weight., Results: In Beijing and Lhasa samples, respectively, average height was 166.38 and 165.70 cm, average weight was 59.53 and 66.53 kg, and average RP was 7.47 and 7.69 d. Statistically significant differences were found between Beijing and Lhasa weight and RP means. Correlations for height and weight against RP were significant, but only comparatively strong for height., Conclusions: Supporting the negative correlation presented in previous studies, RP is negatively associated with height and weight among a large intraspecific sample of people from Beijing and Lhasa. RP represents a metabolic-mediated multidien biological timing mechanism responsible for the rate of cell proliferation and maintenance of the body.

Spikelet rot disease (SRD) is an emerging disease of the grain surface of naked oat in China that affects both grain yield and quality. The typical symptom is discoloration from the black structures of the causal fungi. Here, we investigated the fungal communities on the grain surfaces of cultivar Bayou 13 grown in ten ecological oat-producing regions of China, to identify the main pathogens of naked oat SRD. Our results showed that the growth of Alternaria spp. and Davidiella spp. exhibited a competitive relationship and was mainly affected by the elevations of all 10 ecological regions. The dominant pathogens were Davidiella spp. in Shannan Prefecture in Tibet and Haidong Prefecture in Qinghai Province and Alternaria spp. in the other eight regions. The ratios of black pathogens of interest to all pathogens in Shannan Prefecture and Haidong Prefecture were significantly lower than those of the other eight regions, thus indicating that SRD mainly occurred in regions below 2000 m (elevation). We isolated black fungal pathogens from grain surfaces and deduced that they were Alternaria spp. by sequence comparison. The blackened appearance of the grain surfaces was more evident under spray inoculation with a spore suspension of Alternaria than under the control in greenhouse experiments. The recovered pathogen was the same as the pathogen used for inoculation. We thus concluded that Alternaria alone causes naked oat SRD and mainly infects naked oat in regions below 2000 m, which provides a basis for the recognition and management of SRD of naked oat.

Six aerobic, non-motile, non-haemolytic, Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-negative strains (185 T , 187, 323-1 T , 194, dk386 T and dk771) were recovered from different faecal samples of Equus kiang on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the 16S rRNA gene sequences, one strain pair, 185 T /187, shared highest similarity to Acinetobacter equi 114 T (97.9 %), and the other two (323-1 T /194 and dk771 T /dk386) to Acinetobacter harbinensis CGMCC 1.12528 T (98.6 and 97.0 %, respectively). Phylogenomic tree analysis showed that these six strains formed three separate clades in the genus Acinetobacter . Digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of each pair of the isolates with all members of the genus Acinetobacter were far below 70 %. The main cellular fatty acids of all six strains were C 18 : 1  ω 9 c , C 16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1  ω 7 c /C 16 : 1  ω 6 c ). Q-9 was the predominant respiratory quinone for strains 185 T , 323-1 T and dk386 T . The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Based on the genotypic, phenotypic and biochemical analyses, these six strains represent three novel species of the genus Acinetobacter , for which the names Acinetobacter lanii sp. nov., Acinetobacter shaoyimingii sp. nov. and Acinetobacter wanghuae sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains are 185 T (=CGMCC 1.13636 T =JCM 33607 T ), 323-1 T (=CGMCC 1.13940 T =JCM 33608 T ) and dk386 T (=CGMCC 1.16589 T =JCM 33592 T ), respectively.

This study aimed to gain insight into how adipose tissue of Tibetan sheep regulates energy homoeostasis to cope with low energy intake under the harsh environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). We compared Tibetan and Small-tailed Han sheep (n 24 of each breed), all wethers and 1·5 years of age, which were each divided randomly into four groups and offered diets of different digestible energy (DE) densities: 8·21, 9·33, 10·45 and 11·57 MJ DE/kg DM. When the sheep lost body mass and were assumed to be in negative energy balance: (1) adipocyte diameter in subcutaneous adipose tissue was smaller and decreased to a greater extent in Tibetan than in Small-tailed Han sheep, but the opposite occurred in the visceral adipose tissue; (2) Tibetan sheep showed higher insulin receptor mRNA expression and lower concentrations of catabolic hormones than Small-tailed Han sheep and (3) Tibetan sheep had lower capacity for glucose and fatty acid uptake than Small-tailed Han sheep. Moreover, Tibetan sheep had lower AMPKα mRNA expression but higher mammalian target of rapamycin mRNA expression in the adipocytes than Small-tailed Han sheep. We concluded that Tibetan sheep had lower catabolism but higher anabolism in adipose tissue and reduced the capacity for glucose and fatty acid uptake to a greater extent than Small-tailed Han sheep to maintain energy homoeostasis when in negative energy balance. These responses provide Tibetan sheep with a high ability to cope with low energy intake and with the harsh environment of the QTP.

Two novel Gram-stain-positive, irregular rod-shaped bacterial strains, dk3136 T and dk3543, were isolated from the faeces of Tibetan gazelle ( Procapra picticaudata ) in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of PR China. The cells were aerobic, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Colonies were yellowish, circular without any observable aerial mycelium after culturing at 28 ℃ for 3 days on brain-heart infusion (BHI) agar with 5 % sheep blood. The cells grew optimally at 28 °C, pH 7.5 and with 1 % (w/v) NaCl on BHI agar supplemented with 5 % sheep blood. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that their nearest phylogenetic relative was Nocardioides solisilvae Ka25 T (97.9 % similarity). The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic/phylogenomic analyses illustrated that N. solisilvae Ka25 T , Nocardioides gilvus XZ17 T , Nocardioides houyundeii 78 T and Nocardioides daphniae D287 T were their nearest phylogenetic neighbours. The DNA G+C contents of strains dk3136 T and dk3543 were 70.3 mol% and 70.4 mol%, respectively. Their genomes exhibit lower than threshold (95-96 %) average nucleotide identity to known species of the genus Nocardioides . ll-2,6-diaminopimelic acid was the diagnostic diamino acid and MK-8(H 4 ) was the predominant respiratory quinone. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The two strains had C 18 : 1 ω 9 c , iso -C 16 : 0 and C 17 : 1 ω 8 c as the major fatty acids, and rhamnose and galactose as the main whole-cell sugars. On the basis of the results of our genotypic, phenotypic and biochemical analyses, we conclude that strains dk3136 T and dk3543 represent a novel species in genus Nocardioides , for which the name Nocardioides jishulii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is dk3136 T (=CGMCC 4.7570 T =JCM 33496 T =KCTC 49314 T ).

Eight Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped bacterial strains were isolated from faeces of Tibetan antelopes on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau of China. Genomic sequence analysis showed that the strains belong to the genera Actinomyces (strains 299 T and 340), Corynebacterium (strains 2184 T , 2185, 2183 T and 2189) and Oceanobacillus (strains 160 T and 143), respectively, with a percentage of similarity for the 16S rRNA gene under the species threshold of 98.7 % except for strains 160 T and 143 with Oceanobacillus arenosus CAU 1183 T (98.8 %). The genome sizes (and genomic G+C contents) were 3.1 Mb (49.4 %), 2.5 Mb (64.9 %), 2.4 Mb (66.1 %) and 4.1 Mb (37.1 %) for the type strains 299 T , 2183 T , 2184 T and 160 T , respectively. Two sets of the overall genome relatedness index values between our isolates and their corresponding closely related species were under species thresholds (95 % for average nucleotide identity, and 70 % for digital DNA-DNA hybridization). These results, together with deeper genotypic, genomic, phenotypic and biochemical analyses, indicate that these eight isolates should be classified as representing four novel species. Strain 299 T (=CGMCC 1.16320 T =JCM 33611 T ) is proposed as representing Actinomyces wuliandei sp. nov.; strain 2184 T (=CGMCC 1.16417 T =DSM 106203 T ) is proposed as representing Corynebacterium liangguodongii sp. nov.; strain 2183 T (=CGMCC 1.16416 T =DSM 106264 T ) is proposed as representing Corynebacterium yudongzhengii sp. nov.; and strain 160 T (=CGMCC 1.16367 T =DSM 106186 T ) is proposed as representing Oceanobacillus zhaokaii sp. nov.

The nutritional intake of Tibetan sheep on the harsh Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is often under maintenance requirements, especially during the long, cold winter. However, they have adapted well and even thrive under these conditions. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into how the rumen epithelium of Tibetan sheep has adapted to the consumption of low-energy-level diets. For this purpose, we compared Tibetan and small-tailed Han sheep (n 24 of each breed, all wethers and 1·5 years of age), which were divided randomly into one of four groups and offered ad libitum diets of different digestible energy (DE) densities: 8·21, 9·33, 10·45 and 11·57 MJ DE/kg DM. The Tibetan sheep had higher rumen concentrations of total SCFA, acetate, butyrate and iso-acids but lower concentrations of propionate than small-tailed Han sheep. The Tibetan sheep had higher absorption capability of SCFA due to the greater absorption surface area and higher mRNA expression of the SCFA absorption relative genes than small-tailed Han sheep. For the metabolism of SCFA in the rumen epithelium, the small-tailed Han sheep showed higher utilisation of the ketogenesis pathway than Tibetan sheep; however, Tibetan sheep had greater regulation capacity in SCFA metabolism pathways. These differences between breeds allowed the Tibetan sheep to have greater capability of absorbing SCFA and better capacity to regulate the metabolism of SCFA, which would allow them to cope with low energy intake better than small-tailed Han sheep.

Prolonged duration of obstructive apnea (OA) has been observed in highlanders after descending to low altitude. It is proposed that due to adaptation to a hypoxic high-altitude environment, Tibetan highlanders (TH) and Han highlanders (HH) would manifest different OA durations at low altitude as compared to Han lowlanders (HL). Data collection on consecutive obstructive sleep apnea patients (167 TH, 210 HH and 233 HL) was performed over a period of 8 years in Chengdu (altitude 500 m). The analyses were performed with non-matched groups and with body mass index and apnea-hypopnea index-matched groups. Significance rankings for mean duration of OA (s) in non-matched groups and matched groups were TH (27.7; 28.6) = HH (25.7; 26.0) > HL (21.7; 21.3), respectively. For the longest OA duration, the significance rankings across three groups with regard to the percentage of patients having a duration longer than 2 min (%) and mean values (s) were TH (26.9; 82) > HH (10.0; 67) > HL (1.3; 50). In terms of nadir and mean oxygen saturation, significant differences were found between TH and HH or HL. In addition, longest and mean OA duration were positively correlated with blood pressure and heart rate, whereas nadir and mean oxygen saturation were negatively correlated with these measures in both non-matched and matched groups, and the correlation was more robust in TH. These findings raise important clinical questions regarding whether such significant prolongation of OA duration and a more severe hypoxic burden among highlanders, especially in TH, may lead to adverse clinical consequences when at low altitude., (© 2019 European Sleep Research Society.)

Two strains (S-1072 T and 1626) of Gram-stain-negative, oxidase- and catalase-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped, motile bacteria with a single polar flagellum, were isolated from the leaves of Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. The cells grew optimally at 28 °C, pH 7.0 and with 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl on brain-heart infusion agar. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains S-1072 T and 1626 belong to the genus Luteimonas , sharing the highest similarity with Luteimonas arsenica CCTCC AB 2014326 T (97.0 %), Luteimonas terricola CGMCC 1.8985 T (96.9 %) and Luteimonas aestuarii KCTC 22048 T (96.6 %). The phylogenomic tree indicated that strains S-1072 T and 1626 were most closely related to Luteimonas abyssi CGMCC 1.12611 T . The biochemical characteristics revealed that strains S-1072 T and 1626 could neither produce trypsin nor produce acid from d-glucose, N -acetylglucosamine and maltose, distinguishing them from four closest relatives. The DNA G+C contents of strains S-1072 T and 1626 were 69.2 and 69.3 mol% respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of our isolates with their four closely related species were below the 70 % threshold. The predominant menaquinone was Q-8 (98.7 %) and the major polar lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The major fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 16 : 0 and summed feature 9 (10-methyl C 16 : 0 and/or iso-C 17 : 1 ω 9 c ). Based on the data obtained, strains S-1072 T and 1626 should be classified as a novel species of the genus Luteimonas , for which the name Luteimonas yindakuii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S-1072 T (=CGMCC 1.13927 T =JCM 33487 T ).

The Schizothoracinae fishes, endemic species in the Tibetan Plateau, are considered as ideal models for highland adaptation and speciation investigation. Despite several transcriptome studies for highland fishes have been reported before, the transcriptome information of Schizothoracinae is still lacking. To obtain comprehensive transcriptome data for Schizothoracinae, the transcriptome of a total of 183 samples from 14 representative Schizothoracinae species, were sequenced and de novo assembled. As a result, about 1,363 Gb transcriptome clean data was obtained. After the assembly, we obtain 76,602-154,860 unigenes for each species with sequence N50 length of 1,564-2,143 bp. More than half of the unigenes were functionally annotated by public databases. The Schizothoracinae fishes in this work exhibited diversified ecological distributions, phenotype characters and feeding habits; therefore, the comprehensive transcriptome data of those species provided valuable information for the environmental adaptation and speciation of Schizothoracinae in the Tibetan Plateau.

Two Gram-stain-positive, irregular rod-shaped (0.2-0.5×1.3-2.5 um) strains, HY056 T and HY057, were isolated from the faeces of Equus kiang (the largest of the wild asses) collected at different regions from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of PR China. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strains HY056 T and HY057 belong to the genus Nocardioides by sharing a similarity ranging from 96.3 to 97.0 % in the 16S rRNA gene sequence and forming a distinct cluster with Nocardioides daphniae JCM 16608 T , Nocardioides houyundeii 78 T , Nocardioides solisilvae Ka25 T and Nocardioides gilvus XZ17 T . The digital DNA-DNA hybridization value of strain HY056 T was 96.9 % with strain HY057, but less than 30.0 % with the above four closest relatives. MK-8(H 4 ) was the predominant (91.6 %) respiratory quinone. The cell wall contained ll-2,6-diaminopimelic acid as the diamino acid of the peptidoglycan. The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phospholipid. The predominant fatty acids (>10.0 %) were C 18 : 1 ω9 c and iso -C 16:0. The DNA G+C contents of strains HY056 T and HY057 were 68.9 and 69.1 mol%, respectively. β -Glucosidase expression was positive, and acid was produced from d-fructose. Strain HY056 T (=CGMCC 4.7563 T =JCM 33399 T ) is assigned as the type strain of a novel species within the genus Nocardioides , for which the name Nocardioidesyefusunii sp. nov is proposed.

Hypoxia occurs naturally at high-altitudes and pathologically in hypoxic solid tumors. Here, we report that genes involved in various human cancers evolved rapidly in Tibetans and six Tibetan domestic mammals compared to reciprocal lowlanders. Furthermore, m 6 A modified mRNA binding protein YTHDF1, one of evolutionary positively selected genes for high-altitude adaptation is amplified in various cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We show that YTHDF1 deficiency inhibits NSCLC cell proliferation and xenograft tumor formation through regulating the translational efficiency of CDK2, CDK4, and cyclin D1, and that YTHDF1 depletion restrains de novo lung adenocarcinomas (ADC) progression. However, we observe that YTHDF1 high expression correlates with better clinical outcome, with its depletion rendering cancerous cells resistant to cisplatin (DDP) treatment. Mechanistic studies identified the Keap1-Nrf2-AKR1C1 axis as the downstream mediator of YTHDF1. Together, these findings highlight the critical role of YTHDF1 in both hypoxia adaptation and pathogenesis of NSCLC.

Yaks and indigenous Qaidam cattle and cattle-yak crosses (C × Y) graze on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) throughout the year, but yaks are raised at higher elevations than cattle. Yaks do not receive supplementary feed whereas cattle require supplementary feed during harsh winter. We hypothesized that yaks would cope with the severe conditions of the QTP better than cattle and utilize the pasture more efficiently. We also hypothesized that differences between species would be pronounced in winter, when conditions are particularly harsh. To test these hypotheses, seasonal rumen fluid parameters of yaks, C × Y and cattle (n = 3 for each) were examined. Rumen fluid was collected in summer and winter from each genotype 2, 5 and 12 hr after a day of grazing. Concentrations of total volatile fatty acid (VFA), acetate, propionate, isobutyrate and isovalerate were greater in yaks than in cattle in summer (p < 0.05), while propionate concentration was lower in yaks than in cattle in winter (p < 0.05). Concentrations of ammonia and urea were greater (p < 0.001) in yaks than in cattle (p < 0.001) in summer, whereas, concentrations of free amino acids (AA) were greater in cattle than in yaks in summer and winter (p < 0.001). Concentrations of total VFA, acetate, propionate and butyrate decreased linearly (p < 0.05), whereas concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate increased linearly for yak and C × Y with sampling time (p < 0.05) in summer. In summer, concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate were greater in yaks than in cattle (p < 0.05). In conclusion, rumen fermentation characteristics of yaks showed that they coped better than cattle or C × Y in the harsh climate as we hypothesized. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, this emerged only in summer, when pasture was plentiful and not in winter, when pasture was scarce., (© 2019 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Tetraparvovirus, formerly known as Partetravirus, is a newly discovered genus in the family Parvoviridae that is considered phylogenetically distinct from other parvoviruses. However, nothing is known about the prevalence of Tetraparvovirus in special livestock living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China, such as Tibetan pigs and Tibetan sheep. A pair of special primers was designed based on the conserved regions in the genome of ungulate tetraparvovirus 2 (P-PARV4) and ungulate tetraparvovirus 4 (O-PARV4) and was used to detect P-PARV4 in domestic pigs and Tibetan pigs and O-PARV4 in ovines and Tibetan sheep. The results showed a 15.59 and 9.38% prevalence of P-PARV4 in domestic pigs (18.96% in Gansu Province and 11.76% in Qinghai Province) and Tibetan pigs (14.28% in Gansu Province and 4.44% in Qinghai Province), respectively, and a 7.31 and 5.20% prevalence of O-PARV4 in ovines (6.61% in Gansu Province and 8.00% in Qinghai Province) and Tibetan sheep (4.55% in Gansu Province and 5.50% in Qinghai Province), respectively. The prevalence of P-PARV4 was 14.76% (31/210) for ≤1-month-old pigs and 10.58% (20/189) for > 1-month-old pigs, and the positive rates of O-PARV4 were 7.65% (18/235) for ≤1-month-old sheep and 5.05% (11/218) for > 1-month-old sheep. The phylogenetic analysis of NS1, VP1, VP2 and the whole PARV4-related provirus genome demonstrated that both P-PARV4 and O-PARV4 sequences in this study were more closely related to the sequences of other strains discovered in the same genus of animals. The identity analyses for the full-length VP2 genomes of O-PARV4 revealed 98.84-100.00% sequence identity among the 7 strains and the previously reported strain, which was 98.60-99.28% for P-PARV4. In the present study, for the first time, we have provided comprehensive information regarding the widespread infection of P-PARV4 and O-PARV4 in special livestock on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. Our present findings highlight the importance of epidemiologic surveillance to limit the spread of Tetraparvovirus in livestock at high altitudes in China.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) significantly contributes to morbidity in developing countries. We recently published a study of prevalence and risk factors in school-aged children in three mountainous areas in Sichuan province of western China. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) on data from that study to guide intervention planning, here we examine risk factors grouped into three broad interventional categories: sociodemographics, human behavior, and sources of pork and pig husbandry. Because neuroimaging is not easily available, using SEM allows for the use of multiple observed variables (serological tests and symptoms) to represent probable NCC cases. Data collected from 2608 students was included in this analysis. Within this group, seroprevalence of cysticercosis IgG antibodies was 5.4%. SEM results showed that sociodemographic factors ( β = 0.33, p < 0.05), sources of pork and pig husbandry ( β = 0.26, p < 0.001), and behavioral factors ( β = 0.33, p < 0.05) were all directly related to probable NCC in school-aged children. Sociodemographic factors affected probable NCC indirectly via sources of pork and pig husbandry factors ( β = 0.07, p < 0.001) and behavioral variables ( β = 0.07, p < 0.001). Both sociodemographic factors ( β = 0.07, p < 0.05) and sources of pork and pig husbandry factors ( β = 0.10, p < 0.01) affected probable NCC indirectly via behavioral variables. Because behavioral variables not only had a large direct effect but also served as a critical bridge to strengthen the effect of sociodemographics and sources of pork and pig husbandry on probable NCC, our findings suggest that interventions targeting behavioral factors may be the most effective in reducing disease.

Plants are particularly sensitive to climate change in alpine ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau. The various mountain micro-climates provide a natural gradient for space-for-time substitution research that plant responses to climate change. In this study, we surveyed the plant community in term of species composition, diversity and biomass across 189 sites on a hill of the Tibetan Plateau and analysed the individual and integrated effects of soil temperature and moisture on the plant community. The results showed that, at the quadrat scale, there were decrease in richness of 1.08 species for every 1 °C increase in soil temperature and 3.56 species for every 10% decrease in soil moisture. The integrated effects of increasing soil temperature and decreasing moisture are expected to lead to a rapid decrease in species richness. Biomass had no significant correlation with soil temperature but significantly decreased with soil moisture decreasing (p < 0.01). Biomass would decrease when soil moisture was below 20%, no matter how the change of soil temperature. We also found that gramineae and perennial forbs were sensitive to climate change. With soil temperature increased, the proportion of gramineae increased, whereas the proportion of perennial forbs decreased. The integrated effects of soil temperature increasing and moisture decreasing caused a shift from sedge-controlled to gramineae-controlled communities in alpine meadow. This study not only enhances our understanding of mountain plant community dynamics under climate change, but also predicts the shift of vegetation response to climate change on high-elevation alpine meadow., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tibetan barley (Hordeum vulgare L., qingke) is the principal cereal cultivated on the Tibetan Plateau for at least 3,500 years, but its origin and domestication remain unclear. Here, based on deep-coverage whole-genome and published exome-capture resequencing data for a total of 437 accessions, we show that contemporary qingke is derived from eastern domesticated barley and it is introduced to southern Tibet most likely via north Pakistan, India, and Nepal between 4,500 and 3,500 years ago. The low genetic diversity of qingke suggests Tibet can be excluded as a center of origin or domestication for barley. The rapid decrease in genetic diversity from eastern domesticated barley to qingke can be explained by a founder effect from 4,500 to 2,000 years ago. The haplotypes of the five key domestication genes of barley support a feral or hybridization origin for Tibetan weedy barley and reject the hypothesis of native Tibetan wild barley.

Plant functional groups (PFGs) have been increasingly introduced in land degradation (LD) studies; however, it is unclear whether PFGs can indicate LD. Here, we selected five different degraded lands (i.e., pristine and, lightly, moderately, seriously and extremely degraded) higher than 4650 m on the Tibetan Plateau. In addition, we investigated floristic metrics (i.e., composition, height, cover, biomass and abundance) and soil conditions (e.g., moisture, temperature and gravel ratio) by sampling 225 subplots. We found 75 vascular plants that consist of sedges (Cyperaceae), grasses (Gramineae), legumes, forbs, cushion plants and shrubs PFGs. LD dramatically deteriorated soil conditions, vegetation cover and productivity, however, improved species diversity. Moreover, cover and productivity showed a hump-shaped relationship with LD intensification in legumes, grasses and forbs and decreased mainly in sedges. Productivity increased considerably in cushion plants and shrubs on the extremely degraded land. Major characteristics of the LD process were the replacement of Kobresia spp. by Carex spp. in sedges; cushion plants significantly expanded, and shrubs appeared on the extremely degraded land. We, thus, confirm that the PFG variations are likely to indicate a LD process and demonstrate ways of using PFGs to assess LD status on the Tibetan Plateau.

Background: Mechanisms for high-altitude adaption have attracted widespread interest among evolutionary biologists. Several genome-wide studies have been carried out for endemic vertebrates in Tibet, including mammals, birds, and amphibians. However, little information is available about the adaptive evolution of highland fishes. Glyptosternon maculatum (Regan 1905), also known as Regan or barkley and endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, belongs to the Sisoridae family, order Siluriformes (catfishes). This species lives at an elevation ranging from roughly 2,800 m to 4,200 m. Hence, a high-quality reference genome of G. maculatum provides an opportunity to investigate high-altitude adaption mechanisms of fishes., Findings: To obtain a high-quality reference genome sequence of G. maculatum, we combined Pacific Bioscience single-molecule real-time sequencing, Illumina paired-end sequencing, 10X Genomics linked-reads, and BioNano optical map techniques. In total, 603.99 Gb sequencing data were generated. The assembled genome was about 662.34 Mb with scaffold and contig N50 sizes of 20.90 Mb and 993.67 kb, respectively, which captured 83% complete and 3.9% partial vertebrate Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs. Repetitive elements account for 35.88% of the genome, and  22,066 protein-coding genes were predicted from the genome, of which 91.7% have been functionally annotated., Conclusions: We present the first comprehensive de novo genome of G. maculatum. This genetic resource is fundamental for investigating the origin of G. maculatum and will improve our understanding of high-altitude adaption of fishes. The assembled genome can also be used as reference for future population genetic studies of G. maculatum.

Background: Pig-to-nonhuman primate orthotopic liver xenotransplantation is often accompanied by thrombocytopenia and coagulation disorders. Furthermore, the release of cytokines can trigger cascade reactions of coagulation and immune attacks within transplant recipients. To better elucidate the process of inflammation in liver xenograft recipients, we utilized a modified heterotopic auxiliary liver xenotransplantation model for xeno-immunological research. We studied the cytokine profiles and the relationship between cytokine levels and xenograft function after liver xenotransplantation., Methods: Appropriate donor and recipient matches were screened using complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays. Donor liver grafts from α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout (GTKO) pigs or GTKO pigs additionally transgenic for human CD47 (GTKO/CD47) were transplanted into Tibetan macaques via two different heterotrophic auxiliary liver xenotransplantation procedures. The cytokine profiles, hepatic function, and coagulation parameters were monitored during the clinical course of xenotransplantation., Results: Xenograft blood flow was stable in recipients after heterotopic auxiliary transplantation. A Doppler examination indicated that the blood flow speed was faster in the hepatic artery (HA) and hepatic vein (HV) of xenografts subjected to the modified Sur II (HA-abdominal aorta+HV-inferior vena cava) procedure than in those subjected to our previously reported Sur I (HA-splenic artery+HV-left renal vein) procedure. Tibetan macaques receiving liver xenografts did not exhibit severe coagulation disorders or immune rejection. Although the recipients did suffer from a rapid loss of platelets, this loss was mild. In blood samples dynamically collected after xenotransplantation (post-Tx), dramatic increases in the levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, interleukin (IL)-8, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-6, and interferon gamma-induced protein 10 were observed at 1 hour post-Tx, even under immunosuppression. We further confirmed that the elevation in individual cytokine levels was correlated with the onset of graft damage. Finally, the release of cytokines might contribute to leukocyte infiltration in the xenografts., Conclusion: Here, we established a modified auxiliary liver xenotransplantation model resulting in near-normal hepatic function. Inflammatory cytokines might contribute to early damage in liver xenografts. Controlling the systemic inflammatory response of recipients might prevent early post-Tx graft dysfunction., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)