Primers based on GenBank sequences within the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the human and horse tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) genes were designed and used to amplify a 522-bp product. Sequencing of five clones derived from five independent PCRs obtained from three different animals of three different breeds (Old Kladruber, Akhal-Teke and Shetland Pony) revealed a high level of sequence identity to the TNF-alpha promoter regions of other species. The existing GenBank horse sequences were confirmed and extended upstream by 230 nucleotides. Based on the sequence obtained, a new horse-specific forward primer was designed to amplify a 213-bp PCR product, which was screened for polymorphism using single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Three allelic variants of the horse TNF-alpha gene were identified and sequenced (GenBank accession numbers ADF 349558-60). Two single nucleotide polymorphisms explained the existence of the three SSCP alleles detected: C/T and T/C single base pair substitutions at positions 137 and 147, respectively. Differences in allelic frequencies between Old Kladruber and Akhal-Teke breeds were observed.

Institute of Animal Breedint and Genetics Faculty of Vererinary Medicine Brno Chzech Republic

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Polymorphisms in equine immune response genes and their associations with infections