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. 2019 Feb 27;14(2):e0212318. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212318

Fig 3. Relative mRNA expression of intestinal immune-related genes in different segments of intestinal mucosa in chickens injected in ovo with GOS.

Fig 3

The panel includes genes encoding cytokines, (A) IL-1β, (B) IL10 and (C) IL12p40; and host defence peptides, (D) AvBD1 and (E) CATHL. Intestinal segments: DUO–duodenum, JEJ–jejunum, ILE–ileum, and CEC–caecum. In ovo treatment groups: control (white bars), injected in ovo with physiological saline; GOS (black bars)–injected in ovo with galactooligosaccharides. In ovo injection was carried out on day 12 of egg incubation. Intestinal samples (n = 10) were collected from chickens on day 42 post-hatching. RT-qPCR data were generated with custom-designed primers used for amplification with SYBR green dye; Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and beta-actin (ACTB) were used as reference genes; relative gene expression calculated as 2–ΔΔCt; Two-way ANOVA with post hoc HSD Tukey test was used to compare the groups. Asterisk indicates pair-wise significant differences (P < 0.05). The results of fold induction less than 1 have been transformed by the formula -1/fold induction.