Extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a recently discovered G-protein-coupled receptor that may play a key role in regulating parathyroid hormone secretion and calcium homeostasis. In the present study, based on the reported sequence of the chicken CaSR gene (GenBank accession: XM416491), specific primers were designed and synthesized, and CaSR gene mRNA expression and tissue distribution in chickens were analyzed using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. It was observed that CaSR mRNA was expressed in the kidney and parathyroid to a greater degree than in the small intestine, oviduct, and brain (P < 0.01). Sequence analysis of the PCR products obtained from the 5 tissues showed that these cDNAs shared 100% homology with each other and the corresponding region of the reported CaSR cDNA. The results may provide a basis and additional insight for understanding the physiological function of CaSR in chickens.

Extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a recently discovered G-protein-coupled receptor that may play a key role in regulating parathyroid hormone secretion and calcium homeostasis. In the present study, based on the reported sequence of the chicken CaSR gene (GenBank accession: XM416491), specific primers were designed and synthesized, and CaSR gene mRNA expression and tissue distribution in chickens were analyzed using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. It was observed that CaSR mRNA was expressed in the kidney and parathyroid to a greater degree than in the small intestine, oviduct, and brain (P < 0.01). Sequence analysis of the PCR products obtained from the 5 tissues showed that these cDNAs shared 100% homology with each other and the corresponding region of the reported CaSR cDNA. The results may provide a basis and additional insight for understanding the physiological function of CaSR in chickens.