Impact of Different Proportions of Energy and Protein on the Quantitative Expression Patterns of Various Lymph Node Toll-Like Receptor Genes in Salem Black goats

Harsh summer season due to climate change hinders the quality and quantity of the forages, thus impairing the health (immune system) and production. During such conditions ratio of energy and protein in the diets is negatively affected. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact of various proportions of energy and protein ratio on the different Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) genes in the 40 growing female indigenous Salem Black goat breed for 90 days. The animals were randomly distributed based on body weight into five groups: GI (n=8; Control; ICAR Recommended); GII (n=8; Normal Energy & 50% Low Protein); GIII (n=8; 50% Low Energy & Normal Protein), GIV (n=8; 50% Low Energy & Low Protein) and GV (n=8; 70% Low Energy & Low Protein). The expression levels of Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) 1 to 10 were studied using delta-delta CT-based quantitative PCR. The expression pattern of TLR1 was significantly higher (p<0.05) in GIII, GIV, and GV compared to GI. GV showed significantly (p<0.05) higher expression compared to GII, GIII, GIV, and GV. The expression pattern of TLR3 in GII, GIII, GIV, and GV were significantly (p<0.05) higher than in GI. The expression pattern of TLR4, TLR5, and TLR6 in GIV and GV was significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to GI, GII, and GIII. The expression pattern of TLR7 in GII, GIII, GIV, and GV showed significantly higher (p<0.05) expression than GI. The expression pattern of TLR8 in GV was significantly higher (p<0.01) than all other groups. The expression pattern of TLR9 and TLR10 in GV was significantly higher (p<0.01) than GI, GII, GIII, GIV, and GV, but, GIII and GIV were significantly higher (p<0.01) than GI and GII. The significantly higher expression patterns of TLR1, TLR3, TLR7, TLR8, TLR9, and TLR10 in Group III (Normal Protein and Less Energy) as compared to Group II (Normal Energy and Less Protein) indicated the expression patterns were sensitive to altered energy. The significantly higher expression pattern of different TLRs in nutrient-deficient groups (IV & V) reflects the inherent immune potential during nutritional scarcity. The study identified energy as an important component to maintain immune response.