The brain is an important part of the mammalian nervous system, is highly sensitive to hypoxia, and plays an important role in the adaptation of the body to hypoxic environments. This study was conducted to study the distribution and expression of hypoxia-related factors (hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, HIF-1α; erythropoietin, EPO; vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF; vascular cell adhesion molecule, VCAM) in the cerebellum, cerebrum, medulla oblongata, and corpora quadrigemina in yaks of different ages (4d, 6-months-old and adult). Paraffin sections were obtained from the cerebellum, cerebrum, medulla oblongata, and corpora quadrigemina of healthy yak for 4-day-old, 6-months-old and adult yaks. Histological characteristics were assessed by haematoxylin staining. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the distribution and expression of HIF-1α, EPO, VEGF and VCAM proteins. Immunohistochemical results showed that HIF-1α, EPO, VEGF, and VCAM were expressed in the pyramidal cell layer of the yak cerebrum, and distributed in the cerebellum granulose cell layer, Purkinje cell layer and medulla layer, and were mainly positive in Purkinje cells and medulla. It is expressed in the cell bodies of the medulla oblongata and the quadrimatous neurons. The expression level in the medulla oblongata was higher, indicating may play a crucial role in functional cohesion. The expression of HIF-1α in 4 d cerebellar tissues was higher than that in other age groups, and the expression of HIF-1α in the medulla oblongata increased with age. In addition, the expression levels of EPO and VEGF in the 6-month-old group were slightly higher than those in the other age groups. It is speculated that EPO and VEGF have obvious protective effects on brain tissue in the 6-month-old age group; VCAM showed no significant differences in the cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, or corpora quadrigemina of the yaks. This study provides basic data for further exploration of the adaptive mechanism of plateau yak brain tissue.
Keywords: EPO; VCAM; VEGF; Yaks; brain tissue; development.