Abstract:
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that drive the very early stages of immune response in innate and acquired immunity. Polymorphism in TLR genes may influence their ligand binding or their signal transduction abilities and ultimately affect disease resistance in mammals. Differences in geographic locations are among factors suggested to drive polymorphism in TLR genes. In this study, we searched for Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), short insertions and deletions in the coding sequences of TLR1-10 of Suid species found in Asia and Africa. Read sequences from the Suid species were aligned to Sus scrofa reference genome using Mozaik as the read aligner. Gigabayes was used in calling polymorphisms. No polymorphism was observed in TLR3 and TLR4. SNPs were detected in all other TLR genes with TLR1 and TLR7 having the highest number of SNPs of 6 each and TLR9 having only 1 SNP. Sus celebenesis, a Suid species from Asia had the highest number of SNPs as compared with Sus verrucosus, another Suid species from Asia and Pharcochoerus africanus of African origin. SNPs reported here will be investigated further in terms of amino acid substitutions in ligand binding and signalling domains in TLR genes.