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Post-hatching ontogeny of intestinal proton-coupled folate transporter and reduced folate carrier in broiler chickens
M Jing1, G B Tactacan, J D House
1Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada R3T 2N2.
Insights
This study examined folate transporter gene expression in broiler chickens. Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 mRNA levels changed with age, suggesting developmental regulation and potential contribution of cecal folate to host status.
Area of Science:
- Animal Physiology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Folate transporters are crucial for nutrient absorption due to folate's hydrophilic nature.
- While mammalian folate transporter ontogeny is studied, poultry data is scarce.
- Reduced folate carrier (Slc19a1) and proton-coupled folate transporter (Slc46a1) are key folate transporters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental expression patterns of Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 in broiler chickens.
- To analyze these patterns in jejunal and cecal tissues post-hatching.
- To establish a foundation for future poultry nutrition research.
Main Methods:
- Broiler chickens (Ross × Ross) were sampled from day-of-hatch to 35 days post-hatch.
- Jejunal and cecal tissues were collected for gene expression analysis (mRNA abundance).
- Plasma folate and homocysteine concentrations were measured as indicators of folate status.
Main Results:
- Plasma folate increased with age, while plasma homocysteine decreased, indicating improved folate status.
- Slc19a1 mRNA abundance decreased in both jejunum and cecum with increasing age.
- Slc46a1 mRNA showed age-dependent changes in the jejunum and a decrease in the cecum, suggesting tissue-specific regulation.
Conclusions:
- This study provides initial data on the ontogenetic regulation of Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 in chicken jejunum and cecum.
- Expression patterns suggest that folate transport mechanisms mature post-hatching.
- Cecal expression of these transporters indicates a potential role for cecally derived folate in host nutrition.
Abstract:
Folate transporters, including the reduced folate carrier and the proton-coupled folate transporter, encoded by Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 genes respectively, play important roles in the transport of folate across biological membranes given the hydrophilic nature of folates. Although a number of studies have demonstrated that these two transporters are regulated ontogenetically in mammals, little data are available on their developmental patterns of expression in poultry. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 in jejunal and cecal tissue of broiler chickens during post-hatching development. Post-hatch male chicks (Ross × Ross) had free access to water and a soybean/wheat-based diet. Jejunal, cecal and blood samples were collected on day-of-hatch but before feeding (D0), and on D2, D7, D14, D21 and D35 post-hatch (n = 8 at each time point), respectively. Plasma folate concentrations were low on the day of hatch and increased with maturation; by contrast, plasma homocysteine, a marker of folate status, was highest (P < 0.05) in the day-of-hatch birds and decreased thereafter. Increasing age reduced mRNA abundance of Slc19a1 (P < 0.05) in the jejunum and cecum. Abundance of Slc46a1 mRNA (P < 0.05) gradually decreased in the cecum with increasing age and that of Slc46a1 in the jejunum initially decreased and then increased to level similar to that of day-of-hatch. The study provides some initial data on ontogenetic regulation of Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 in the jejunum and cecum of the chicken and lays the ground work for future nutritional studies. Moreover, the expression of Slc19a1 and Slc46a1 transcripts in the cecum provides evidence of the potential for cecally derived folate to contribute to the folate status of the host.
