{
  "abstract": "The semi-domesticated gayal (Bos frontalis) is an endangered browsing ruminant inhabiting the rugged Eastern Himalayan foothills, and maintains an energy-intensive lifestyle on nutrient-poor, fiber-rich feed. However, the dietary, microbial, and host physiological features underlying this adaptation remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed fecal metagenomes from ten bovine populations (n = 334) to characterize dietary composition. Then we profiled the four-chambered (FC) stomach microbiome in adult gayal (Bos frontalis), yak (Bos grunniens), and taurine cattle (Bos taurus). Host transcriptomes were profiled across the FC stomach in adult individuals from gayal, yak and cattle. Dietary analysis revealed a woody plant-dominated, bamboo-rich dietary pattern in gayal. Gastric metagenomes in gayal showed high population-level microbial diversity, pronounced individual-associated community structure, and functional potentials related to aromatic compound transformation, nitrogen metabolism, and metabolic flexibility. Transcriptomes revealed compartment-specific specialization in the gayal stomach, including rumen immune signatures and reticulum contractile/electrophysiological features. Exploratory compartment-level integration further suggested possible consistency between host transcriptomic features and microbial functional potential. Together, these multi-omics findings suggest a host-microbiome system potentially associated with the utilization of chemically complex, low-quality forage, providing a framework for understanding digestive features of browsing ruminants and for conserving host-associated gastrointestinal microbiomes.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Bio-X Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and School of Life Science & School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China",
    "College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China",
    "Gongshan Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nujiang, China",
    "Lanping Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nujiang, China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution and Animal Models & Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 15,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuming Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Juntao Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhifan Guo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Junren Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiaonan Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jian Xiao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Dexiang Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jifan Yan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Weidong Deng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zhizhong Nu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Husheng He"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Wenliang He"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jing Luo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ya-Ping Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yan Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8643-4931"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7erfysj1qa0ge.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41522-026-01095-4",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13728222/",
  "id": "7erfysj1qa0ge",
  "issns": [
    "2055-5008"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-026-01095-4",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1102|Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7168024059",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-026-01095-4_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13728222",
  "pmid": "42436166",
  "published": "2026-07-11",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7erfysj1qa0ge.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:23:56Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13728222",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-026-01095-4"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1102|Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A rugged life: how host-microbiome adaptations associated with the semi-feral lifestyle of gayal (Bos frontalis)",
  "title_text": "A rugged life: how host-microbiome adaptations associated with the semi-feral lifestyle of gayal (Bos frontalis)",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:21:15Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7erfysj1qa0ge",
  "venue": "NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes",
  "versions": []
}