TLR7 Gene Responses in HIV-Infected Humans vs. Livestock: An In Silico Exploration

Abstract

The Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is an essential to the immune response against viral infections, mainly HIV. This study examines the amino acid interactions between TLR7 and HIV across three species: humans, cows, and sheep, concentrating on binding distances and docking scores as indicators of interaction strength. In humans, the most favorable interactions include 330A (Lysine, LYS) with 540A (Arginine, ARG) at a distance of 1.642 Å and a docking score of -316.27, indicating strong electrostatic interactions. The second best interaction, 242A (Asparagine, ASN) and 269B (Glutamine, GLN), displays a distance of 2.516 Å, likely involving hydrogen bonding for enhanced specificity. In cattle, the interaction between 561A (Glutamic Acid, GLU) and 1B (Proline, PRO) is remarkably the strongest across species, with a distance of 1.439 Å and a docking score of -235.19. In sheep, the interaction 559A (Glutamine, GLN) with 96B (Histidine, HIS) at 2.181 Å reflects effective binding with a score of -295.91. Generally, these interactions expose critical insights into the structural dynamics of TLR7's recognition of HIV, highlighting the significance of binding affinities in immune response strategies. This analysis can guide the progress of therapeutic approaches to improve TLR7-mediated responses to HIV across various species.