S72 Modulation of intestinal transport of nutrients following dietary exposure to Fusarium mycotoxins in broiler chickens G. Antonissen 1,2* , F. Van Immerseel 1 , F. Pasmans 1 , R. Ducatelle 1 , F. Haesebrouck 1 , M. Verlinden 1 , S. Hessenberger 3 , S. Su 4 , E.A. Wong 4 , A. Martel 1 , S. Croubels 2 1) Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium 2) Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium 3) Biomin Research Center, Technopark 1, 3430 Tulln, Austria 4) Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech, 3150 Litton Reaves Hall, Blacksburg 24061, Virginia, United States of America *Corresponding author: Gunther.Antonissen@UGent.be Fusarium mycotoxins affect nutrient transport Summary Deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins are secondary metabolites produced by Fusarium fungi which frequently contaminate animal feed. Results of a global survey indicate that DON and fumonisins contaminate 55% and 54% of feed and feed ingredients, respectively (Streit et al., 2013). Following oral intake, the gastro-intestinal epithelium is exposed to these mycotoxins. Recently we showed that DON contamination, when present below the EU maximum guidance level of 5 mg/kg feed, increased the intestinal protein content and decreased the plasma concentration of 21 different free amino acids in broilers (Antonissen et al., 2013). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of DON and fumonisins contaminated diets on the nutrient uptake in the small intestine of broilers. The transport of nutrients into, and out of intestinal epithelia is mediated by digestive enzymes and membrane bound transporter proteins located at the brushborder and basolateral membranes of intestinal epithelial cells. Ross 308 broiler chickens were fed either a control diet, a DON contaminated diet (~ 5 mg/kg feed), a fumonisins contaminated diet (~ 20 mg/kg feed) or a DON and fumonisins contaminated diet (respectively ~ 5 mg/kg feed and ~ 20 mg/kg feed) for 15 days. Subsequently, chickens were euthanized and samples of the jejunum were collected. Gene expression of a panel of 2 digestive enzymes, 10 amino acid, 1 peptide, 3 sugar transporters and 2 mineral transporters from jejunal RNA was measured by qRT-PCR (Paris and Wong, 2013). Chickens fed a diet contaminated with DON, fumonisins or a combination of both mycotoxins had a decreased expression of the basolateral zinc transporter-1 and brushborder sucrase isomaltase. In addition, in chickens fed a fumonisins contaminated diet the brush border neutral and dibasic amino acid transporter b 0,+ AT and the anionic amino acid transporter EAAT3 were upregulated; while the basolateral cationic amino acid transporter-1 CAT1 was