title: In silico identification of components of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in clustered chicken expressed sequence tags (ESTs).
abstract: We have described a bioinformatic approach that involves the clustering of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) to reveal homologs of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway in the chicken. Homology searching of proteins, predicted to be encoded by these EST clusters, resulted in the in silico identification of full-length sequences for Toll-interacting protein (Tollip), IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 adapter-like (Mal), TGF beta-activated kinase 1 binding protein 1 (TAB1). We also determined partial sequence information for myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), two novel TLRs, TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), TGF beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), TAB2, inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase alpha (IKK alpha) and IKK beta. This bioinformatics study has confirmed the evolutionary conservation of the TLR pathway in chicken and demonstrated its essential homology to the TLR pathway in mammals. We have identified in silico the full-length sequence for liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2). This is the first time a non-mammalian LEAP-2 has been described.
authors.affiliation: Education and Research Centre, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lynn
authors.forename: Andrew T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Cliona
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Farrelly
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D019295:Computational Biology; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors