Comparative transcriptome analysis of winter yaks in plateau and plain

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Genomics
• Environmental Adaptation

Background:

• Yaks are vital to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's ecosystem and human populations.
• Domestic yaks face winter challenges like weight loss and mortality due to cold and food scarcity.
• Relocating yaks to plains can mitigate environmental stress and enhance production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of plateau versus plain environments on yak growth, slaughter, and beef quality traits.
• To identify differences in muscle mRNA expression levels between yaks from plateau and plain environments.
• To explore the genetic basis of adaptation and production differences using gene expression analysis.

Main Methods:

• Monthly measurements of growth, slaughter, and beef quality traits in yaks.
• mRNA sequencing of muscle tissues from plateau and plain yak populations.
• Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to identify gene modules related to weight traits.

Main Results:

• Significant differences (p<0.01) in body weight were observed at 60, 90, 120, and 150 days between plateau and plain yaks.
• Identified 540 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 123 known and 417 unknown genes.
• WGCNA revealed strong correlations between gene co-expression modules and weight traits.

Conclusions:

• Yak relocation from plateau to plain environments significantly alters growth and potentially beef quality.
• Differential gene expression patterns are associated with environmental adaptation and weight gain in yaks.
• This study provides insights into the genetic networks underlying yak adaptation to different environments.