Goat milk is essential for the initial development of kids by providing a great source of commensal bacteria. In this study, we analyzed the microbiota of the milk of 30 healthy Saanen dairy goats. The 30 samples comprised 15 colostrum and 15 mature milk samples, collected from three different farms of Shaanxi Province. Colostrum samples were collected daily for five days post-delivery and mature milk was collected on the 7th, 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th days. The result showed that microbial alpha diversity was higher in the mature milk compared with that in the colostrum. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was performed to detect differentially abundant taxa in colostrum and goat milk. According to taxonomy results, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the predominant bacteria phyla in both colostrum and mature milk. In addition, lactation stage noticeably influenced the composition of milk microbiota. Specifically, Novosphingobium, Brachybacterium, Psychrobacter, Lactobacillus, Yersinia, Roseateles, Rothia, Sanguibacter, Cloacibacterium, Variovorax, Sphingobacterium, and Coxiella were enriched in the colostrum, while Georgenia, Peptostreptococcus, Bacteroidales, Yaniella, Planomicrobium, Cloacibacterium, Azospirillum, Turicibacter, Cupriavidus, Herbaspirillum, Rhodobacteraceae, and Aeromonadales were the dominant genera in the mature milk. The enriched metabolic functions of the goat milk microbiota were predicted by PICRUSt and classified by KEGG pathway. Moreover, the abundances of environmental information processing, cellular processes pathway, genetic information processing pathway, organismal systems pathway, and metabolism pathway were significantly different between microbiota of colostrum and mature milk. Altogether, our study disclosed the significant difference between the microbial communities of colostrum and mature milk and provided grounds for further research in dairy microbiology.

The increased tameness to reduce avoidance of human in wild animals has been long proposed as the key step of animal domestication. The tameness is a complex behavior trait and largely determined by genetic factors. However, the underlying genetic mutations remain vague and how they influence the animal behaviors is yet to be explored. Behavior tests of a wild-domestic hybrid goat population indicate the locus under strongest artificial selection during domestication may exert a huge effect on the flight distance. Within this locus, only one missense mutation RRM1 ^I241V which was present in the early domestic goat ~6500 years ago. Genome editing of RRM1 ^I241V in mice showed increased tameness and sociability and reduced anxiety. These behavioral changes induced by RRM1 ^I241V were modulated by the alternation of activity of glutamatergic synapse and some other synapse-related pathways. This study established a link between RRM1 ^I241V and tameness, demonstrating that the complex behavioral change can be achieved by mutations under strong selection during animal domestication.

In China, Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim, known as “Huajiao,” has a pleasant, fragrant flavor and several therapeutic properties. The nutritional content of plants is necessary for their defense response to insects. In this study, we analyzed the effects of soil fertilization treatments such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and special compound fertilizer for pepper (HZ) on the different growth parameters and expression of insect-defense-response genes in Z. bungeanum. The results show that the height and weight of prickly ash significantly differed after the application of fertilizers with different concentrations. Additionally, seedlings that were treated with low concentrations of nutrient fertilizers (N1, P1, K1, Ca1, and HZ1) were significantly higher, and they were selected for transcriptome analysis. According to transcriptomic analysis, a total of 65,566 unigenes were discovered, among which 61,379 corresponded to annotated protein-coding genes and 4187 to transcripts of novel protein-coding genes. A total of 294 unigenes were detected as candidate genes for regulating the defense response to insects, including 204 protease inhibitors, 29 plant lectins, and 61 other defense response genes. Additionally, trypsin inhibitors, cystatin, phytepsin, metalloproteinase, MMP, caffeic acid, resveratrol, and thiol proteinase inhibitors, ACA, TDC, and 28 BES1 were enriched in Z. bungeanum. Specifically, the leaves of Z. bungeanum that were treated with Ca and HZ fertilizations were dominated by the protease inhibitors. In addition, the type of fertilizer significantly affects gene expression in plants. The functional annotations were predicted by the number of differentially expressed genes and classified by GO and KEGG ontology enrichment analysis. Moreover, according to the GO database, biological processes were the largest group and contained a high frequency of differentially expressed genes. According to KEGG pathway results, significantly enriched genes belonged to the biosynthesis of secondary metabolisms, amino acid metabolism, and folding, sorting, and degradation. Overall, it was found that the type of fertilizer with low concentrations had an effect on Z. bungeanum’s primary and secondary metabolism, and these findings provided grounds for further research in forest protection science.

The valorization of dairy by-products, particularly whey, represents a key challenge and opportunity in sustainable food systems. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical and amino acid composition of milk and whey-derived products and to identify optimal whey–milk mixtures using integrated multivariate and desirability-based approaches. Ten model systems (M1–M10) were prepared with increasing whey content (7.5–75%), and their composition was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography. Multivariate analysis, including PCA and correlation heatmaps, revealed that protein, casein, TS, SNF, and amino acid fractions (ΣEAA and ΣBCAA) were the primary drivers of compositional variability, whereas lactose and acidity-related parameters contributed to secondary differentiation. Desirability function analysis was applied by integrating nutritional quality, functional balance, and sustainability score into a composite index. The results demonstrated that intermediate formulations achieved a more balanced profile compared with extreme compositions. Among all mixtures, the formulation containing 30% whey (M5) showed the highest overall desirability within the evaluated parameters, reflecting a favorable balance between compositional quality and whey utilization. These findings highlight the potential of integrated analytical approaches for the development of nutritionally optimized and resource-efficient dairy systems.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim, also known as "Huajiao," is a plant native to China, prized for its fragrant flavor and various therapeutic properties. Nutrient insufficiency is a significant limitation to plant development, and fertilization is commonly used to overcome this challenge. However, the effects of fertilization vary depending on the amount of fertilizer applied, the years following treatment, and the nutritional condition of the forest site. In this study, the effects of different soil fertilization treatments—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and a special compound fertilizer for pepper (HZ)—on the morphological parameters of Z. bungeanum were analyzed from March to August 2024. The results showed that plant height and weight significantly improved with fertilization, with low concentrations of fertilizer having the most positive effects on these growth parameters. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing fertilizer application to enhance the growth and development of Z. bungeanum. This research provides a foundation for further studies aimed at improving forest management and maximizing the potential of this valuable species.

Understanding the genomic basis of environmental adaptation is essential for the conservation and genetic improvement of domestic camels. In this study, we investigated the population structure, genetic diversity, and genomic variation potentially associated with environmental adaptation of Kazakh dromedary and Bactrian camels using whole-genome sequencing. Whole-genome sequencing data were generated for Kazakh camels (15 dromedaries and 16 Bactrian camels) and integrated with 131 publicly available genomes representing camel populations from the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Mongolian wild camels. Population structure, genetic diversity, and genome-wide selection were evaluated using principal component analysis, ADMIXTURE, nucleotide diversity, linkage disequilibrium, runs of homozygosity, genomic inbreeding (FROH), and selection scans based on F_ST, θπ ratio, and XP-EHH. Population genomic analyses revealed clear differentiation between dromedary and Bactrian camels, whereas Kazakh camel populations exhibited higher nucleotide diversity (θπ = 1.307–1.551 × 10⁻³), and lower genomic inbreeding (median FROH: 0.037–0.056) than Arabian populations. Genome-wide selection analyses identified MC4R as the prominent candidate gene in Kazakh dromedaries and RYR1 as a prominent candidate gene in Kazakh Bactrian camels. Functional enrichment analyses highlighted pathways related to energy metabolism, thermogenesis, calcium signaling, skeletal muscle function, mitochondrial activity, and oxidative stress response. These findings provide new insights into genomic variation potentially associated with environmental adaptation in Kazakh camels and offer valuable genomic resources for future conservation, breeding, and evolutionary studies.