Effects of Cellular Extract on Epigenetic Reprogramming.

Functional reprogramming of a differentiated cell toward pluripotent cell may have long-term applications in numerous aspects, especially in regenerative medicine. Evidences accumulating from recent studies suggest that cellular extracts from stem cells or pluripotent cells can induce epigenetic reprogramming and facilitate pluripotency in otherwise highly differentiated cell types. Epigenetic reprogramming using cellular extracts has gained increasing attention and applied to recognize the functional factors, acquire the target cell types, and explain the mechanism of reprogramming.

Transcriptome profile and unique genetic evolution of positively selected genes in yak lungs.

The yak (Bos grunniens), which is a unique bovine breed that is distributed mainly in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is considered a good model for studying plateau adaptability in mammals. The lungs are important functional organs that enable animals to adapt to their external environment. However, the genetic mechanism underlying the adaptability of yak lungs to harsh plateau environments remains unknown.

Supplementation of cilostazol during in vitro maturation enhances the meiosis and developmental competence of yak oocytes by influencing cAMP content and mRNA expression.

The efficiency of in vitro embryo production remains low compared with that observed in vivo. Recent studies have independently shown that cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) modulation prior to in vitro maturation (IVM) supplementation improves oocyte developmental competence. In this context, special cAMP modulators have been applied during IVM as promising alternatives to improve this biotechnology.

Effect of DNA Extraction Methods on the Apparent Structure of Yak Rumen Microbial Communities as Revealed by 16S rDNA Sequencing.

To more efficiently identify the microbial community of the yak rumen, the standardization of DNA extraction is key to ensure fidelity while studying environmental microbial communities. In this study, we systematically compared the efficiency of several extraction methods based on DNA yield, purity, and 16S rDNA sequencing to determine the optimal DNA extraction methods whose DNA products reflect complete bacterial communities. The results indicate that method 6 (hexadecyltrimethylammomium bromide-lysozyme-physical lysis by bead beating) is recommended for the DNA isolation of the rumen microbial community due to its high yield, operational taxonomic unit, bacterial diversity, and excellent cell-breaking capability.

Molecular Characterization and Expression Analysis of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1 Genes in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Bos grunniens and Lowland Bos taurus.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) play a pivotal role in regulating cellular hypoxic response. In this study, we cloned and characterized the genes encoding IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 to improve the current knowledge on their roles in highland Bos grunniens (Yak). We also compared their expression levels in the liver and kidney tissues between yaks and lowland cattle.

Molecular characterization and tissue distribution of estrogen receptor genes in domestic yak.

Estrogen and its receptors are essential hormones for normal reproductive function in males and females during developmental stage. To better understand the effect of estrogen receptor (ER) gene in yak (Bos grunniens), reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out to clone ERα and ERβ genes. Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the evolutionary relationship between yaks and other species, and real-time PCR was performed to identify the mRNA expression of ERα and ERβ.

Cellular extract facilitates nuclear reprogramming by altering DNA methylation and pluripotency gene expression.

The functional reprogramming of a differentiated cell to a pluripotent state presents potential beneficial applications in disease mechanisms and regenerative medicine. Epigenetic modifications enable differentiated cells to perpetuate molecular memory to retain their identity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the reprogramming modification of yak fibroblast cells that were permeabilized and incubated in the extracts of mesenchymal stem cells derived from mice adipose tissue [adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)].

Sodium butyrate improves the cloned yak embryo viability and corrects gene expression patterns.

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT), a powerful tool in basic scientific research, has been used widely to increase and preserve the population of endangered species. Yak (Bos grunniens) is one of these species. Development to term of interspecies cloned yak embryos has not been achieved, possibly due to abnormal epigenetic reprogramming.