Hybridization between yak Poephagus grunniens and taurine Bos taurus or indicine B. indicus cattle has been widely practiced throughout the yak geographical range, and gene flow is expected to have occurred between these species. To assess the impact of cattle admixture on domestic yak, we examined 1076 domestic yak from 29 populations collected in China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzs...

To further explore Y-STR INRA189 polymorphisms in the yak, and to determine the genetic differences among yak breeds, genotyping analysis of INRA189 in 102 male yak individuals from three yak breeds in Qinghai Province of China was performed. Genotyping revealed the presence of four alleles, with sizes of 149, 155, 157, and 159 bp, respectively. Of these, the 157-bp allele, which was found with...

Fatty acid (FA) composition of longissimus dorsi intramuscular fat in Black Yak and Chinese Yellow Cattle were evaluated in 44 Black Yak and 41 Chinese Yellow Cattle of both genders. Interactions of species with gender were observed for total saturated fatty acid (SFA), unsaturated fatty acid (UFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), palmitic acid, stearic aci...

Jinchuan yak, a newly discovered yak breed, not only possesses a large proportion of multi-ribs but also exhibits many good characteristics, such as high meat production, milk yield, and reproductive performance. However, there is limited information about its overall genetic structure, relationship with yaks in other areas, and possible origins and evolutionary processes. In this study, 7,693,...

Lactate dehydrogenase A4 (LDH-A4) was purified for yak skeletal muscle. Michaelis constant (Km) analysis showed that yak LDH-A4 for pyruvate was significantly higher than that of cattle. cDNA cloning of LDH-A revealed two amino acid substitutions between yak and cattle. We suggest that the higher Km of yak LDH-A4 might be a result of molecular adaptation to a hypoxic environment.

Information is presented here on yak kept commercially in around 90 herds in the USA and Canada with a total of perhaps 2000 animals (pure and hybrid). Yak are also found in small commercial herds in parts of Europe and in New Zealand. In addition, there are a significant number of zoos and wild animal parks in several parts of the world that have, or have had, collections of yak, many of them ...

Using light and scanning electron microscopy, the morphological adaptations of the yak (Bos grunniens) tongue to its foraging environment in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau were studied. The tongue of the yak was compared with that of cattle (Bos taurus). Compared with cattle, yak tongues are on average 4 cm shorter (P < 0.001), and yak consume forages using the labia oris, rather than by extending...

BACKGROUND Platelet derived growth factors (PDGFs) are key components of autocrine and paracrine signaling, both of which play important roles in mammalian developmental processes. PDGF expression levels also relate to oxygen levels. The characteristics of yak PDGFs, which are indigenous to hypoxic environments, have not been clearly described until the current study. MATERIALS AND METHODS We...

The carcass size performances and the meat quality of Gannan and Sibu yak were determined using M. supraspinatus (SU), M. longissimus thoracis (LT) and M.quadriceps femoris (QF). It is found that Sibu yak had significantly higher carcass weight (CW) than Gannan yak with difference of nearly 40 kg, as well as significantly higher eye muscle area (EMA), carcass thorax depth (CTD), round perimeter...

The cDNA-encoding sequences for yak metallothionein isoforms I (MT-I) and II (MT-II) were amplified and cloned by reverse-transcription PCR to characterize the nucleotide sequence and protein structure of metallothionein in the yak. The cDNA sequences of MT-I and MT-II were subjected to BLAST searching at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and the results indicated that the nucl...