Polymorphisms in Toll-like receptors genes changes the host's immune response and is associated with cervical cancer

Abstract

Polymorphisms in Toll-like receptors (TLRs) genes have been associated with cervical cancer, but some inconsistencies were found in the results. The present study aimed to investigate the role of polymorphisms in the TLRs genes in cervical cancer, through meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis. Searches were performed in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of science online databases until November 2020. For bioinformatics analysis, we used SNP2TFBS, Raptor-X, MUpro, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). The results of meta-analysis showed that the +1196T (rs4986791 TLR4), +7764T (rs1927911 TLR4), -1486C (rs187084 TRL9) +2848A (rs352140 TRL9) alleles carriers and -2604G/G (rs10759931 TLR4), -1237C/C (rs5743836 TRL9) genotypes were associated with an increased risk for cervical cancer. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that the -1237T>C (rs5743836) and -1486T>C (rs187084) polymorphisms can affect the transcription factors binding sites (RELA, NFKB1 and THAP1) in the TLR9 gene, and the +2848G>A (rs352140) polymorphism seems to alter the structure and stability of TLR4 protein. Additionally, using GEPIA, was observed a significantly high of IL-1β, IL-18 and TNF-α expression in cervical cancer tissues compared to normal tissues. These finds indicate that polymorphisms in the TLR4 and TLR9 genes can affect intracellular signaling and, consequently, change the patterns of the immune response, leading to an increased risk for cervical cancer.

Keywords: Cervical cancer; Cytokines; Immune response; Polymorphisms; Toll-like receptors.