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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Influence of Age and Immunostimulation on the Level of Toll-...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(11); 1966; doi: 10.3390/ani10111966

Influence of Age and Immunostimulation on the Level of Toll-Like Receptor Gene (TLR3, 4, and 7) Expression in Foals.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms leading to the identification of pathogens by congenital immune receptors in foals up to 60 days of age. The study was conducted on 16 foal Polish Pony Horses (Polish Konik) divided into two study groups: control ( = 9) and experimental ( = 7). Foals from the experimental group received an intramuscular duplicate injection of 5 mL of Biotropina (Biowet) at 35 and 40 days of age. The RNA isolated from venous blood was used to evaluate the expression of the, , and genes using RT-PCR. The results of the experiment demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the level of gene expression and a decrease in the level of gene expression with foal aging. The level of gene expression did not show age dependence. Immunostimulation with Biotropina had a significant impact on the level of the genes' expression for Toll-like receptors. It increased the level of expression and decreased expression. Thus, it was concluded that the expression of the and genes in peripheral blood cells is dependent on age. This experiment demonstrated a strong negative correlation between and gene expression.
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Publication Date: 2020-10-26 PubMed ID: 33114637PubMed Central: PMC7692595DOI: 10.3390/ani10111966Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the molecular mechanisms in young foals that aid in the identification of pathogens by examining the gene expression of innate immune receptors. The study also explores the impact of aging and immunostimulation on these mechanisms.

Methodology and Study Groups

  • The study utilized a total of 16 foal Polish Pony Horses, more commonly referred to as Polish Konik.
  • The foals were divided into two groups: a control group (nine foals) and an experimental group (seven foals).
  • The experimental group was exposed to an intramuscular injection of Biotropina—a commercially available immunostimulant. The injection was administered twice, on the 35th and 40th day of the foals’ life.

Measurement and Analysis

  • To evaluate the expression of TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7 genes—critical components of the foals’ immune response—the researchers extracted and analyzed RNA from the foals’ venous blood. The method used to evaluate gene expression was Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
  • The researchers compared the TLR gene expression levels between the two groups and studied changes in these levels over time, aiming to reveal any significant differences and patterns influenced by age or Biotropina immunostimulation.

Key Findings

  • Throughout the study period, researchers observed a significant increase in TLR3 gene expression and a decrease in TLR4 gene expression as the foals aged.
  • The level of TLR7 gene expression, on the other hand, did not appear to depend on the foals’ age.
  • The immunostimulation with Biotropina resulted in significantly altered TLR gene expression: TLR3 expression rose while TLR4 expression fell.
  • The researchers found a strong negative correlation between TLR3 and TLR4 gene expression, meaning that as one increased, the other tended to decrease.
  • Overall, the study concludes that the expression of TLR3 and TLR4 genes in foals’ peripheral blood cells appears to be dependent on age.

Cite This Article

APA
Migdał A, Migdał Ł, Oczkowicz M, Okólski A, Chełmońska-Soyta A. (2020). Influence of Age and Immunostimulation on the Level of Toll-Like Receptor Gene (TLR3, 4, and 7) Expression in Foals. Animals (Basel), 10(11), 1966. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10111966

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 11
PII: 1966

Researcher Affiliations

Migdał, Anna
  • Department of Genetics, Animal Breeding and Ethology, Faculty of Animal Sciences, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland.
Migdał, Łukasz
  • Department of Genetics, Animal Breeding and Ethology, Faculty of Animal Sciences, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland.
Oczkowicz, Maria
  • Department of Animal Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland.
Okólski, Adam
  • Institute of Veterinary Science, University Centre of Veterinary Medicine UJ-UR, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
Chełmońska-Soyta, Anna
  • Laboratory of Reproductive Immunology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Weigla 12 Street, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland.
  • Department of Immunology, Pathophysiology and Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Division of Immunology and Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Norwida 31 Street, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland.

Grant Funding

  • DS 3208 and SUB.2015-D201 / Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyu017cszego

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Hu D, Tang Y, Wang C, Qi Y, Ente M, Li X, Zhang D, Li K, Chu H. The Role of Intestinal Microbial Metabolites in the Immunity of Equine Animals Infected With Horse Botflies.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:832062.
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