Detection of polymorphisms and protein domain architectures in rabbit toll-like receptor 2

Abstract

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognise pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) derived from pathogens and participate in activation of the immune responses. The TLR2 gene can recognise PAMPs specific to bacterial diseases such as pneumonia. In the present study, we sequenced the coding regions of the TLR2 gene in 18 rabbits from 5 breeds, including New Zealand White, Californian, Flemish Giant, Chinchilla and Fu Jian Yellow. In total, we discovered 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 4 non-synonymous SNPs located within the predicted TLR domains. Two non-synonymous SNPs (G205A and G265C) were located in the LRR (leucine-rich repeat) domains of the predicted protein, while another non-synonymous SNP (C943T) was situated in the regions involved in binding to ligands. In addition, one synonymous SNP (C1174T) was distributed in the nucleus regions of heterodimers formed. Then, we revealed five conservative regions in the LRR patterning by prediction and comparison of TLR2 protein domain architectures for multiple species. The SNPs in the TLR2 gene may increase the probability of adaptation to variability of PAMPs due to the rapid evolution of pathogens and the possibility of survival in rabbit populations. The SNPs reported here will be useful to investigate the association between the TLR2 gene and disease resistance in future studies.