Nutrient transporters in broiler chickens: intestinal gene expression profiles,
functional roles, and influencing factors
#MMPMID41339895
Sadr VS
; Quinteros JA
; Liu SY
; Barekatain R
J Anim Sci Biotechnol
2025[Dec]; 16
(1
): 165
PMID41339895
show ga
The primary role of the gastrointestinal tract in broiler chickens is nutrient
assimilation, with transporter proteins facilitating the uptake of amino acids,
peptides, monosaccharides, fatty acids, and minerals across the intestinal
epithelium. Among these nutrient transporters, members of the solute carrier
family are particularly important, and gene expression analyses targeting these
transporters have provided informative insights into how birds adapt to diverse
dietary, environmental, and physiological challenges to maintain nutrient
homeostasis. These transporters are expressed either at the brush border
membrane, where they facilitate the absorption of nutrients from the gut lumen
into enterocytes, or at the basolateral membrane, where they mediate the transfer
of nutrients from the enterocytes into the bloodstream. The expression of these
transporters is influenced by a range of factors, including bird age, sex,
intestinal segment, dietary substrate availability and source, as well as
external stressors such as heat stress and pathogen exposure. While upregulation
of transporter genes often suggests an enhanced capacity for nutrient uptake, it
does not always correlate with improved growth performance, due to compensatory
physiological responses and fluctuations in nutrient bioavailability.
Understanding the regulation and functional dynamics of nutrient transporters
presents valuable opportunities to develop targeted dietary and management
strategies aimed at optimizing nutrient utilization and improving bird
performance. This review summarizes current knowledge on the classification,
function, and regulation of key nutrient transporters in broilers, highlights
factors influencing their expression, and explores their implications for
nutrition and production efficiency.
free
free
free
