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Differential expression of endometrial toll-like receptors (TLRs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with endometritis

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Abstract

Toll like receptors (TLRs) and β-defensins expressed in the endometrium are part of the innate uterine defense mechanism (UDM). In the present study, transcriptional profile of TLRs (1–3, 6–8, 10, and) and β-defensins such as lingual antimicrobial peptide (LAP), tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP) and bovine neutrophil beta-defensin 4 (BNBD4) were studied. Bubaline genitalia were collected from abattoir and the endometrium was categorized into one of the following seven groups (n = 7/group) based on cyclicity and endometritis: follicular non-endometritis (FNE), luteal non-endometritis (LNE), follicular cytological endometritis (FCE), luteal cytological endometritis (LCE), follicular purulent endometritis (FPE), luteal purulent endometritis (LPE) and acyclic non-endometritis (ANE). Cytological endometritis (CE) was diagnosed by uterine cytology while purulent endometritis (PE) was diagnosed by the presence of purulent or mucopurulent exudate in the uterine lumen. Real time PCR was performed and the relative fold change was analysed. TLR1 and BNBD4 transcripts were not found in the buffalo endometrium. Of all the innate immune genes studied, upregulation of TLR and β-defensins was mostly contributed by the inflammatory status of endometrium. Further, there was a prominent upregulation of TAP in buffaloes with endometritis. However, no association could be found between the inflammatory status of the endometrium and phase of estrous cycle with respect to the expression of TLRs and β-defensins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India

    Nitish Singh Kharayat, Chethan Sharma G, Gangaram Chaudhary, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Gautum Kumar Das, Harendra Kumar & Narayanan Krishnaswamy

  2. Division of Animal Biotechnology, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India

    Gandham Ravi Kumar & Deepika Bisht

  3. Division of Animal Nutrition, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India

    Anil Kumar Garg

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  1. Nitish Singh Kharayat
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Correspondence to Narayanan Krishnaswamy.

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Kharayat, N.S., Sharma G, C., Kumar, G.R. et al. Differential expression of endometrial toll-like receptors (TLRs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with endometritis. Vet Res Commun 43, 261–269 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-019-09761-z

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