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Animals
Special Issues
Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals
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Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 7342

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jiakui Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
2. College of Animals Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Linzhi, China
Interests: microbiota; nutrition; yaks; poultry; disease management; probiotics
Dr. Md. F. Kulyar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: apoptosis; inflammasome; poultry; probiotics; cell culture; metabolomic profile; 16s rRNA sequencing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Quan Mo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
Interests: poultry; feed toxicity; thiram; animal production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to propose a forthcoming Special Issue that will delve into the captivating realm of Plateau animals—a remarkable ecosystem that continues to inspire researchers and enthusiasts alike. Titled "Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals", this Special Issue of cutting-edge studies aims to offer a comprehensive exploration of the diverse facets of animal life on the Plateau. With a focus on recent emerging viral risks and their effects on the population, we anticipate ground-breaking research that offers novel insights into identifying infections in this Special Issue. We also expect investigations that will provide light on the probiotic potential of yaks, revealing their function in boosting gut health and development.

Additionally, we are eager to investigate the complex interactions across microbial communities, with a focus on how probiotics affect gut growth and the microbiome makeup. The importance of early diagnosis and control of zoonotic disease will be highlighted through research that addresses important issues linked to parasitic infections. We want to encourage cooperation and knowledge sharing among researchers and academic specialists concerned with the welfare of Plateau animals through this Special Issue. We will all work together to advance knowledge and develop new methods for breeding, production, and disease control, which will help to protect and thrive these amazing creatures in their special ecology. We look forward to receiving cutting-edge research from experts throughout the world as they contribute their knowledge and ideas to this Special Issue. By collaborating, we may overcome the difficulties and complexity that occur in the process and make substantial advancements in our comprehension of ruminant biology.

Warm regards,

Prof. Dr. Jiakui Li
Dr. Md. F. Kulyar
Dr. Quan Mo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Plateau animals
  • production
  • breeding
  • disease management
  • Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4473 KiB  
Article
Hypoxia-Induced Differences in the Expression of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 1-Related Factors in the Renal Tissues and Renal Interstitial Fibroblast-like Cells of Yak (Bos Grunniens)
by Manlin Zhou, Jun Wang, Ruirui Cao, Fan Zhang, Xuehui Luo, Yiyuan Liao, Weiji Chen, Haie Ding, Xiao Tan, Zilin Qiao and Kun Yang
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3110; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213110 - 29 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1244
Abstract
Hypoxia is one of the factors severely affect renal function, and, in severe cases, it can lead to renal fibrosis. Although much progress has been made in identifying the molecular mediators of fibrosis, the mechanisms that govern renal fibrosis remain unclear, and there [...] Read more.
Hypoxia is one of the factors severely affect renal function, and, in severe cases, it can lead to renal fibrosis. Although much progress has been made in identifying the molecular mediators of fibrosis, the mechanisms that govern renal fibrosis remain unclear, and there have been no effective therapeutic anti-fibrotic strategies to date. Mammals exposed to low oxygen in the plateau environment for a long time are prone to high-altitude disease, while yaks have been living in the plateau for generations do not develop kidney fibrosis caused by low oxygen. It has been suggested that metabolic reprogramming occurs in renal fibrosis and that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) plays a crucial role in metabolic reprogramming as an important node between glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hypoxia on the renal tissues and renal interstitial fibroblasts of yaks. We found that, at the tissue level, HIF-1α, PDK1, TGF-β1, Smad2, Smad3, and α-SMA were mainly distributed and expressed in tubular epithelial cells but were barely present in the renal mesenchymal fibroblasts of healthy cattle and yak kidneys. Anoptical density analysis showed that in healthy cattle kidneys, TGF-β1, Smad2, and Smad3 expression was significantly higher than in yak kidneys (p < 0.05), and HIF-1α and PDK1 expression was significantly lower than in yak kidneys (p < 0.05). The results at the protein and gene levels showed the same trend. At the cellular level, prolonged hypoxia significantly elevated PDK1 expression in the renal mesangial fibroblasts of cattle and yak kidneys compared with normoxia (p < 0.05) and was proportional to the degree of cellular fibrosis. However, PDK1 expression remained stable in yaks compared with renal interstitial fibroblast-like cells in cattle during the same hypoxic time period. At the same time, prolonged hypoxia also promoted changes in cellular phenotype, promoting the proliferation, activation, glucose consumption, lactate production, and anti-apoptosis in the both of cattle and yaks renal interstitial fibroblasts The differences in kidney structure and expression of PDK1 and HIF-1α in kidney tissue and renal interstitial fibroblasts induced by different oxygen concentrations suggest that there may be a regulatory relationship between yak kidney adaptation and hypoxic environment at high altitude. This provides strong support for the elucidation of the regulatory relationship between PDK1 and HIF-1α, as well as a new direction for the treatment or delay of hypoxic renal fibrosis; additionally, these findings provide a basis for further analysis of the molecular mechanism of hypoxia adaptation-related factors and the adaptation of yaks to plateau hypoxia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals)
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25 pages, 12307 KiB  
Article
Dietary Conversion from All-Concentrate to All-Roughage Alters Rumen Bacterial Community Composition and Function in Yak, Cattle-Yak, Tibetan Yellow Cattle and Yellow Cattle
by Yili Liu, Yu Wang, Yongli Wen, Liangliang Ma, Daojie Riqing and Mingfeng Jiang
Animals 2024, 14(20), 2933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14202933 - 11 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1192
Abstract
The experiment was to compare the effects of switching all-concentrate to all-roughage diets on rumen microflora and functional metabolism of yak, cattle-yak, Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow cattle living in different altitudes. A total of 24 yaks, cattle-yaks, Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow [...] Read more.
The experiment was to compare the effects of switching all-concentrate to all-roughage diets on rumen microflora and functional metabolism of yak, cattle-yak, Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow cattle living in different altitudes. A total of 24 yaks, cattle-yaks, Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow cattle with a similar weight and good body condition aged 3.5 years were selected and divided into four groups according to species. They were fed a concentrate diet with 40% soybean meal and 60% corn meal for the first month (C group) and a roughage diet with dry corn stalks (100%) for the second month (R group); the formal experimental period was 60 d. These results showed that the conversion had a significant effect on the rumen microflora structure of the four herds, and the biggest difference between concentrate and roughage diets was yak and cattle-yak, followed by Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow cattle. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes still predominate in all groups. Compared with the C groups, the relative abundance of Lentisphaerae and Kiritimatiellaeota increased in all R groups, and Lentisphaerae was significantly increased in yak and cattle-yak (p < 0.05). At the genus and species levels, Prevotella had the highest abundance, and the relative abundances of Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Sarcina and Ruminobacter in R groups were lower, while the abundances of other differential genera, including Methanobrevibacter, Fibrobacter, Treponema, Eubacterium, Butyrivibrio, Succinivibrio and Succinimonas, were all higher. Roughage diets increased the number of unique genes and functional genes encoding different CAZymes in rumen microorganisms in all four herds. In the functional contribution analysis, with the exception of ABC transporters and methane metabolism, Prevotella was the main contributor to almost all of these functions. In methane metabolism, Methanobrevibacter had the highest relative abundance, followed by Prevotella, Clostridia and Bacteroidales in all groups. Compared with Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow cattle, yaks and cattle-yaks have better adaptability to roughage, and its utilization rate can be fully improved to reduce methane emission. The study indicates that when four herds are converted to high roughage at the later stage of feeding, the growth and reproduction of rumen microorganisms are affected, and the abundance and diversity of rumen microorganisms are increased to varying degrees. The transformation of concentrate to roughage diet can change the metabolic pathways of rumen microorganisms in yaks and finally affect the fermentation mode of rumen. The above results provide a theoretical basis for the research and development of fattening feeds for yaks, cattle-yaks, Tibetan yellow cattle and yellow cattle and the intensive feeding of livestock on the plateau. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals)
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15 pages, 10668 KiB  
Article
Metagenomic Analysis Reveals A Gut Microbiota Structure and Function Alteration between Healthy and Diarrheic Juvenile Yaks
by Hongwen Zhao, Quan Mo, Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam Kulyar, Jiuqiang Guan, Xiangfei Zhang, Xiaolin Luo and Jiakui Li
Animals 2024, 14(8), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14081181 - 14 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1940
Abstract
Diarrhea-induced mortality among juvenile yaks is highly prevalent in the pastoral areas of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Although numerous diseases have been linked to the gut microbial community, little is known about how diarrhea affects the gut microbiota in yaks. In this work, we [...] Read more.
Diarrhea-induced mortality among juvenile yaks is highly prevalent in the pastoral areas of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Although numerous diseases have been linked to the gut microbial community, little is known about how diarrhea affects the gut microbiota in yaks. In this work, we investigated and compared changes in the gut microbiota of juvenile yaks with diarrhea. The results demonstrated a considerable drop in the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota in diarrheic yaks, accompanied by Eysipelatoclostridium, Parabacteroides, and Escherichia-Shigella, which significantly increased during diarrhea. Furthermore, a PICRust analysis verified the elevation of the gut–microbial metabolic pathways in diarrhea groups, including glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, alanine, aspartate, oxidative phosphorylation, glutamate metabolism, antibiotic biosynthesis, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Taken together, our study showed that the harmful bacteria increased, and beneficial bacteria decreased significantly in the gut microbiota of yaks with diarrhea. Moreover, these results also indicated that the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota may be a significant driving factor of diarrhea in yaks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals)
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31 pages, 29044 KiB  
Article
Study of Transcriptomic Analysis of Yak (Bos grunniens) and Cattle (Bos taurus) Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells under Oxygen Concentration Gradients and Differences in Their Lung Histology and Expression of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 1-Related Factors
by Yiyang Zhang, Manlin Zhou, Yuxin Liang, Rui Li, Lan Zhang, Shuwu Chen, Kun Yang, Haie Ding, Xiao Tan, Qian Zhang and Zilin Qiao
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3450; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223450 - 8 Nov 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2268
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia affects the biological behavior of yak PASMCs, the changes in the histological structure of yak and cattle lungs, and the relationships and regulatory roles that exist regarding the differences [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia affects the biological behavior of yak PASMCs, the changes in the histological structure of yak and cattle lungs, and the relationships and regulatory roles that exist regarding the differences in the distribution and expression of PDK1 and its hypoxia-associated factors screened for their role in the adaptation of yak lungs to the plateau hypoxic environment. The results showed that, at the level of transcriptome sequencing, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of the HIF-1 signaling pathway, glucose metabolism pathway, and related factors (HK2/PGK1/ENO1/ENO3/ALDOC/ALDOA) may be closely related to the adaptation of yaks to the hypoxic environment of the plateau; at the tissue level, the presence of filled alveoli and semi-filled alveoli, thicker alveolar septa and basement membranes, a large number of erythrocytes, capillary distribution, and collagen fibers accounted for all levels of fine bronchioles in the lungs of yaks as compared to cattle. A higher percentage of goblet cells was found in the fine bronchioles of yaks, and PDK1, HIF-1α, and VEGF were predominantly distributed and expressed in the monolayers of ciliated columnar epithelium in the branches of the terminal fine bronchioles of yak and cattle lungs, with a small amount of it distributed in the alveolar septa; at the molecular level, the differences in PDK1 mRNA relative expression in the lungs of adult yaks and cattle were not significant (p > 0.05), the differences in HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA relative expression were significant (p < 0.05), and the expression of PDK1 and HIF-1α proteins in adult yaks was stronger than that in adult cattle. PDK1 and HIF-1α proteins were more strongly expressed in adult yaks than in adult cattle, and the difference was highly significant (p < 0.01); the relative expression of VEGF proteins was not significantly different between adult yaks and cattle (p > 0.05). The possible regulatory relationship between the above results and the adaptation of yak lungs to the plateau hypoxic environment paves the way for the regulatory mechanisms of PDK1, HIF-1α, and VEGF, and provides basic information for studying the mechanism of hypoxic adaptation of yaks in the plateau. At the same time, it provides a reference for human hypoxia adaptation and a target for the prevention and treatment of plateau diseases in humans and plateau animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Breeding and Disease Management of Plateau Animals)
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