Animal Science

Animal Physiology

Introduction

Our laboratory is investigating the various physiological phenomena and problems related to the growth and production in ruminants between biological scales from the molecular level to the whole body, and then conduct the education and research related to the establishment of basic technology necessary for livestock production.

Ruminant such as cattle, sheep and goats have established symbiotic relationships with microorganisms in rumen and use short-chain fatty acids produced by anaerobic fermentation of feeds as their main energy source. In our laboratory, a wide range of research is conducted to investigate the nutritional and physiological characteristics of various functions such as digestion, metabolism, and endocrine of ruminants that produce high-quality foods such as meat and milk, and to elucidate their biological significance. Currently, we are to investigate 1) the metabolic and endocrine network in ruminants, 2) the changes in digestive system and endocrine function during weaning, and 3) maintenance of homeostasis in rumen. 4) the molecular mechanism on fat accumulation and the sensing of fatty acid, 5) the lactation and mammary gland tissue function in aspect of the production of beef cattle and dairy cows,

This research is carried out in collaboration with universities, research institutes, companies, etc. in Japan and overseas, and the goal is to apply various research results obtained from the basics to the livestock industry.

Keywords

Ruminant、Beef Cattle、Dairy Cattle、Endocrine、Rumen Homeostasis、Liver Metabolism、Fat Metabolism、Mammary Gland Function

Staff