Figure 1. Polymorphisms in the promoter region of the TLR4 gene.

A. Eight sequence variants were identified by direct sequencing of PCR products from the distal promoter region of the human TLR4 gene, starting 4.3 kb upstream of the ATG start codon. SNPs were located at bp -4038, -3612, -3002, -2604, -2570, -2081, -2026 and -1607. B-C. Conservation of the human TLR4 promoter compared to Bos Taurus and Sus scrofa (b) Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus (c). Polymorphisms in the human consensus sequence were defined by comparison with the gene bank sequence (AF177765) and positions are indicated by ovals, numbered relative to the transcription start site in the human gene bank sequence. Filled ovals are located on conserved sequence blocks. D. Pair-wise linkage disequilibria (LD) were calculated, using VG2 software. LD was measured using r² where the color scheme presents the degree of LD (range 0.0 through 1.0) where the maximum LD value (r² = 1) corresponds to the upper boundary of the color spectrum. E. In silico predictions of transcription factor binding using TFSEARCH. Five of the eight SNPs were located in sequences with a high degree of homology to possible transcription factor binding motifs.