Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Bovine TLR2 Extracellular Domain Contribute to Breed and Species-Specific Innate Immune Functionality.

Recent evidence suggests that several cattle breeds may be more resistant to infection with the zoonotic pathogen Mycobacterium bovis. Our data presented here suggests that the response to mycobacterial antigens varies in macrophages generated from Brown Swiss (BS) and Holstein Friesian (HF) cattle, two breeds belonging to the Bos taurus family. Whole genome sequencing of the Brown Swiss genome identified several potential candidate genes, in particular Toll-like Receptor-2 (TLR2), a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) that has previously been described to be involved in mycobacterial recognition. Further investigation revealed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in TLR2 that were identified between DNA isolated from cells of BS and HF cows. Interestingly, one specific SNP, H326Q, showed a different genotype frequency in two cattle subspecies, Bos (B.) taurus and Bos indicus. Cloning of the TLR2 gene and subsequent gene-reporter and chemokine assays revealed that this SNP, present in BS and Bos indicus breeds, resulted in a significantly higher response to mycobacterial antigens as well as tri-acylated lipopeptide ligands in general. Comparing wild-type and H326Q containing TLR2 responses, wild-type bovine TLR2 response showed clear, diminished mycobacterial antigen responses compared to human TLR2, however bovine TLR2 responses containing H326Q were found to be partially recovered compared to human TLR2. The creation of human:bovine TLR2 chimeras increased the response to mycobacterial antigens compared to the full-length bovine TLR2, but significantly reduced the response compared to the full-length human TLR2. Thus, our data, not only present evidence that TLR2 is a major PRR in the mammalian species-specific response to mycobacterial antigens, but furthermore, that there are clear differences between the response seen in different cattle breeds, which may contribute to their enhanced or reduced susceptibility to mycobacterial infection.

Analysis of Genetic Variation in the Bovine SLC11A1 Gene, Its Influence on the Expression of NRAMP1 and Potential Association With Resistance to Bovine Tuberculosis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a chronic zoonotic disease where host genetics is thought to contribute to susceptibility or resistance. One of the genes implicated is the SLC11A1 gene, that encodes for the natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1). The aim of this study was to identify SLC11A1 polymorphisms and to investigate any resulting functional differences in NRAMP1 expression that might be correlated with resistance/susceptibility to M. bovis infection. Sequencing of the SLC11A1 gene in cDNA isolated from Brown Swiss, Holstein Friesian, and Sahiwal cattle identified five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region, but only one of these (SNP4, c.1066C>G, rs109453173) was present in all three cattle breeds and therefore warranted further investigation. Additionally, variations of 10, 11, and 12 GT repeats were identified in a microsatellite (MS1) in the SLC11A1 3'UTR. Measurement of NRAMP1 expression in bovine macrophages by ELISA showed no differences between cells generated from the different breeds. Furthermore, variations in the length of the MS1 microsatellite did not impact on NRAMP1 protein expression as analyzed by luciferase reporter assay. However, further analysis of the ELISA data identified that the presence of the alternative G allele at SNP4 was associated with increased expression of NRAMP1 in bovine macrophages. Since NRAMP1 has been shown to influence the survival of intracellular pathogens such as M. bovis through the sequestering of iron, it is possible that cattle expressing the alternative G allele might have an increased resistance to bTB through increased NRAMP1 expression in their macrophages.