Yak

The domestic yak (Bos grunniens) is an important domesticated species for Tibetans. Domestic yaks provide meat and other basic resources of necessity. The analysis of yak genome provides important insights into adaptation to a high altitude. Here discussed study was published in Nature Genetics. The study compares the yak genome with the genome of taurine cattle (B. taurus). Yak and cattle are cross-fertile, that means that they are genetically very similar. However the cattle suffer from hypertension when living in the yak habitat, thus, comparing this two species can provide the information about evolutionary adaptation to high altitude. In the study, researches sequenced genome of a female yak. They found three genes that help the animal to deal with a low concentration of oxygen that is typical for high altitude. Five further genes provide a better nutritional assimilation, as a consequence of the limited herbal resources available in the mountains where they live. Fig.1 Qiu et al., The yak genome and adaptation to life at high altitude., Nature Genetics 44, 2012 Venn diagram showing unique and shared gene families between the yak, cattle, dog and human genoms. One the Fig.1 unique and shared gene families from four different species (yak, …