Melatonin receptor (MTNR1A and MTNR2B) expression during the breeding season in the yak (Bos grunniens)

Effects of high altitude and season on fasting heat production in the yak Bos grunniens or Poephagus grunniens.

Thirty growing yaks Bos grunniens or Poephagus grunniens, 1.0-3.5 years and 50-230 kg, from their native altitudes (3000-4000 m), were used to study the basal metabolism in this species and to evaluate the effects of high altitude and season on the energy metabolism. Fasting heat production (FHP) was measured at altitudes of 2260, 3250 and 4270 m on the Tibetan plateau in both the summer and th...

Susceptibility of yak (Bos grunniens) to copper deficiency.

A comparative study on urinary purine derivative excretion of yak (Bos grunniens), cattle (Bos taurus), and crossbred (Bos taurus x Bos grunniens) in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, China.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the urinary purine derivative (PD) excretion rates and to analyze potential variations in PD excretions between yak, Tibetan indigenous cattle, and their crossbreds under similar ecological environment, and to develop prediction equations based on PD excretion for estimating rumen microbial protein supply. Three Tibetan castrated male yaks, and simila...

Nucleolus-like bodies in the pineal gland of the adult yak (Bos grunniens).

The pineal glands of adult yak were studied electron microscopically. Nucleolus-like bodies (NLBs) were found mostly in the pinealocytes and the interstitial cells of the pineal glands of the yak. The NLBs were electron-dense, round or ovoid bodies with a diameter of 50 nm - 500 nm. Two types of granules were identified as melanin. These may correspond to different stages of a progressive stora...

Morphological adaptations of yak (Bos grunniens) tongue to the foraging environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

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...