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Ruminant Physiology: Digestion, Metabolism, and Endocrine System

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 576

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Low Carbon Breeding Cattle and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: nutrition and feeding of beef cattle and yaks; nutritional regulation of rumen microecology and function

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ruminants are pivotal to global agriculture and food security, transforming low-quality feedstuffs into high-value animal products through their unique digestive and metabolic adaptations. Recent advances in interdisciplinary research—spanning molecular biology, omics technologies, and systems physiology—have deepened our understanding of the intricate interplay between rumen function, nutrient metabolism, and endocrine regulation in ruminants. These insights are critical for optimizing feed efficiency, mitigating environmental impacts (e.g., methane emissions), and enhancing animal health and productivity under diverse production systems.

This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge studies on ruminant physiological mechanisms, including, but not limited to, the following: rumen microbial ecology and host–microbiome interactions, nutrient absorption and partitioning, hormonal regulation of metabolism, adaptive responses to nutritional stressors, and the role of epigenetics in metabolic programming. Contributions leveraging advanced methodologies (e.g., metabolomics, proteomics, or microbiomics) to address challenges in sustainable ruminant production are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Rui Hu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ruminant physiology
  • digestive health
  • metabolic regulation
  • endocrine signaling
  • rumen microbiome
  • nutrient partitioning
  • methane mitigation
  • epigenetic modulation
  • nutritional stress adaptation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3149 KiB  
Article
Promoter H3K4me3 and Gene Expression Involved in Systemic Metabolism Are Altered in Fetal Calf Liver of Nutrient-Restricted Dams
by Susumu Muroya, Koichi Ojima, Saki Shimamoto, Takehito Sugasawa and Takafumi Gotoh
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7540; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157540 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 395
Abstract
Maternal undernutrition (MUN) causes severe metabolic disruption in the offspring of mammals. Here we determined the role of histone modification in hepatic gene expression in late-gestation fetuses of nutritionally restricted cows, an established model using low-nutrition (LN) and high-nutrition (HN) conditions. The chromatin [...] Read more.
Maternal undernutrition (MUN) causes severe metabolic disruption in the offspring of mammals. Here we determined the role of histone modification in hepatic gene expression in late-gestation fetuses of nutritionally restricted cows, an established model using low-nutrition (LN) and high-nutrition (HN) conditions. The chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing results show that genes with an altered trimethylation of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) are associated with cortisol synthesis and secretion, the PPAR signaling pathway, and aldosterone synthesis and secretion. Genes with the H3K27me3 alteration were associated with glutamatergic synapse and gastric acid secretion. Compared to HN fetuses, promoter H3K4me3 levels in LN fetuses were higher in GDF15, IRF2BP2, PPP1R3B, and QRFPR but lower in ANGPTL4 and APOA5. Intriguingly, genes with the greatest expression changes (>1.5-fold) exhibited the anticipated up-/downregulation from elevated or reduced H3K4me3 levels; however, a significant relationship was not observed between promoter CpG methylation or H3K27me3 and the gene set with the greatest expression changes. Furthermore, the stress response genes EIF2A, ATF4, DDIT3, and TRIB3 were upregulated in the MUN fetal liver, suggesting involvement of the response in GDF15 activation. Thus, H3K4me3 likely plays a crucial role in MUN-induced physiological adaptation, altering the hepatic gene expression responsible for the integrated stress response and systemic energy metabolism, especially circulating lipoprotein lipase regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Physiology: Digestion, Metabolism, and Endocrine System)
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