RELATIVE mRNA EXPRESSION OF TWO NUTRIENT TRANSPORTERS BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINE DARAG CHICKEN AND COMMERCIAL LAYER CHICKEN (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Abstract

Darag chicken is one of the Philippine native chicken strains originating from the Western Visayas region. It is common for poultry farmers to raise native chicken breeds due to their adaptability and resistance to diseases, thus most are produced through free-management systems. The majority of Darag chicken farmers use layer diets that are available on the market and are designed to meet the nutritional needs of commercial layer chickens. This study characterized the nutrient transporters in the small intestines of the Philippine Darag chicken and commercial layer chicken (CLC). Specifically, the experiment compared the mRNA expression levels of EAAT3 and B⁰AT between Darag chicken and commercial layer chicken fed with commercial ration. Tissue samples were collected from the three main intestinal segments of the Darag and CLC. Total RNA extraction from the intestinal tissue samples was done followed by cDNA synthesis and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to determine the relative expression levels of EAAT3 and B⁰AT  in the two bird groups. Philippine Darag chicken displayed an increase in relative mRNA expression levels of both genes, EAAT3 and B⁰AT, in the three (3) intestinal segments. The observed expression levels of both genes in Darag were statistically comparable with CLC.