structural analysis of the tlr4 gene in iranian commercial arian line and west azerbaijan native chicks

the tlr4 gene structure as the main receptor for lipopolysaccharide recognition of gram-negative bacteria was investigated in two strains of iranian commercial arian line and west azerbaijan native chicks and its expression was studied in some major organs. blood samples of the 120 birds were taken and total dnas extracted. then, the target gene was sequenced using four pairs of primers on four samples of each strain. the effects of amino acid changes on protein function were assessed by panther software. to investigate the gene expression, total rnas were extracted from liver, spleen, and lung tissues after slaughter of the birds. gene expression was assessed by semi-quantitative rt-pcr. the amplified rnas from tissues of liver, spleen and lungs. then electrophoresis images were processed with the image software and quantitative data analyzed by minitab. the results showed three new single polymorphisms (t1147c, c2246a and a1832g) in the sequence of tlr4 gene in the studied populations. the effects of variations on tlr4 protein structure indicated  a deleterious effect of mutations on  protein structure. the tlr4 gene expression in case of native and commercial strains did not show significant differences. due to importance of the tlr4 in innate immunity and identification of some novel mutations affecting on protein structure, this gene could be a valuable candidate related to genetic resistance in poultry.