Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) detect diverse pathogen-associated molecular patterns and play a critical role in the innate immune response. Hosts should activate TLR-signaling pathways to eliminate invading pathogens. However, excessive activation of these pathways may interrupt immune homeostasis, leading to several diseases. Therefore precise regulation of TLR-signaling pathways is essential. Meanwhile, miRNAs (microRNAs) act similar to a class of small noncoding RNAs with gene regulatory functions. The regulation of TLR expression by miRNAs may be one of the valid points for targeting TLRs.
Materials and methods: In this study, we predicted most of the microRNAs bind to the TLRs pathway in the chicken, based on the bioinformatic methods. All genes involved in the TLR signaling pathway in chicken species were extracted from the KEGG database (Entry: gga04620) and analyzed based on different applications.
Results: We predicted 19 miRNAs for the 18 target genes of the TLR pathway that may provide essential clues for identifying novel drug targets for inflammatory diseases.
Conclusion: Substantial miRNA was found as gene regulators. As newly identified regulators, the performance mechanism of miRNAs in combination with other regulatory mechanisms will control the outcome of immune responses and these issues should be investigated in future studies