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Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and immune disorders.

Upon the invasion of pathogens, the immune system needs to mount defense responses immediately. Over the past 10 years, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been discovered in mammals and defined as pathogen sensors. TLRs are considered to bind directly to ligands, discriminate them immediately, and induce defense responses when appropriate. We here review microbial recognition by TLRs, downstream signaling, and the relationship of TLRs to susceptibility to infectious diseases and immune disorders. Recent reports have revealed a requirement for co-receptors in TLR responses. A TLR signaling pathway is required for protection against infectious diseases, but excessive signaling may lead to allergies, autoimmune diseases, or atherosclerosis. In humans, several deficiencies of signaling molecules downstream of TLRs, and TLR polymorphisms that affect recognition or signaling, were reported to cause immunodeficiencies. It is important to understand how TLR signaling is controlled.

Animals↗

Macrophage activation by a DNA/cationic liposome complex requires endosomal acidification and TLR9-dependent and -independent pathways.

Previously, we showed that bacterial DNA and vertebrate DNA/cationic liposome complexes stimulate potent inflammatory responses in cultured mouse macrophages. In the present study, we examined whether endocytosis and subsequent acidification are associated with these responses. The endocytosis inhibitor, cytochalasin B, reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) production by a plasmid DNA (pDNA)/cationic liposome complex. The endosomal acidification inhibitor, monensin, inhibited cytokine production by pDNA or a calf thymus DNA/liposome complex. These results suggest, similarly to CpG motif-dependent responses, that endocytosis and subsequent endosomal acidification are also required for these inflammatory responses. It is intriguing that another inhibitor of endosomal acidification, bafilomycin A, stimulated the production of TNF-alpha mRNA and its protein after removal of the pDNA/liposome complex and inhibitors, although it inhibited the release of interleukin-6. Similar phenomena were observed in the activation of macrophages by CpG oligodeoxynucleotide, calf thymus DNA, and Escherichia coli DNA complexed with liposomes. Moreover, bafilomycin A also induced a high degree of TNF-alpha release after stimulation with naked pDNA. These results suggest that bafilomycin A increases TNF-alpha production induced by DNA at the transcriptional level via an as-yet unknown mechanism. Furthermore, we investigated the contribution of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), the receptor of CpG motifs, to the cell activation by the DNA/cationic liposome complex using the macrophages from TLR9-/- mice. We observed a reduced inflammatory cytokine release from macrophages of TLR9-/- mice compared with wild-type mice. However, the cytokine production was not completely abolished, suggesting that the DNA/cationic liposome complex can induce macrophage activation via TLR9-dependent and -independent pathways.

Acids↗

The role of Toll-like receptors in host defense against microbial infection.

The Toll family of proteins is central to Drosophila host defense against microbial infection. Maintained throughout evolution, mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are proteins that participate in innate immunity to bacteria in at least four ways. First, TLRs participate in the recognition of molecular patterns present on microorganisms. Second, TLRs are expressed at the interface with the environment, the site of microbial invasion. Third, activation of TLRs induces expression of co-stimulatory molecules and the release of cytokines that instruct the adaptive immune response. Fourth, activation of TLRs leads to direct antimicrobial effector pathways that can result in elimination of the foreign invader. The recent investigation of TLRs in these areas has provided new insights into mechanisms of innate immunity.

Animals↗

miRNA-mediated control of TLR-NLR interplay in the uterus: A hidden corner of recurrent pregnancy loss.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and NOD-like receptors (NLRs) are crucial pattern recognition receptors that initiate inflammatory responses and immunological activation upon detecting pathogen- or damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/DAMPS) in the female reproductive tract, thereby maintaining homeostasis and supporting pregnancy success. Their signaling pathways play a significant role in reproductive disorders by mediating the immune response to various pathogenic stimuli. Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), defined as the natural ending of two or more pregnancies before 24 weeks of gestation, approximately half of these patients remain idiopathic without precise prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic plans. Emerging data point that microRNAs are essential for immunological control in the female reproductive tract. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by binding to mRNA and preventing translation into protein. miRNAs play a role in many biological processes, including the development and differentiation of trophoblasts, the activation and implantation of embryos, immune tolerance, and the receptivity of the endometrium during implantation. Given their capacity to regulate up to 30 % of the human genome, miRNAs offer a promising avenue for understanding the immunopathogenesis of pregnancy complications. Recent research has detected differential expression of specific miRNAs in reproductive system pathologies. This review focuses on microRNAs and their association with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage, a condition characterized by considerable heterogeneity. Future studies identifying the precise mechanisms linking miRNA-mediated immune dysregulation in RPL immunopathogenesis could open the way for novel personalized therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.

Female↗

Spatiotemporal regulation of MyD88-IRF-7 signalling for robust type-I interferon induction.

Robust type-I interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) induction in plasmacytoid dendritic cells, through the activation of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), constitutes a critical aspect of immunity. It is absolutely dependent on the transcription factor IRF-7, which interacts with and is activated by the adaptor MyD88. How plasmacytoid dendritic cells, but not other cell types (such as conventional dendritic cells), are able to activate the MyD88-IRF-7-dependent IFN induction pathway remains unknown. Here we show that the spatiotemporal regulation of MyD88-IRF-7 signalling is critical for a high-level IFN induction in response to TLR9 activation. The IFN-inducing TLR9 ligand, A/D-type CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-A), is retained for long periods in the endosomal vesicles of plasmacytoid dendritic cells, together with the MyD88-IRF-7 complex. However, in conventional dendritic cells, CpG-A is rapidly transferred to lysosomal vesicles. We further show that conventional dendritic cells can also mount a robust IFN induction if CpG-A is manipulated for endosomal retention using a cationic lipid. This strategy also allows us to demonstrate endosomal activation of the IFN pathway by the otherwise inactive TLR9 ligand B/K-type oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-B). Thus, our study offers insights into the regulation of TLR9 signalling in space, potentially suggesting a new avenue for therapeutic intervention.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

TIR domain-containing adaptors define the specificity of TLR signaling.

The concept that Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize specific molecular patterns in various pathogens has been established. In signal transduction via TLRs, MyD88, which harbors a Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR)-domain and a death domain, has been shown to link between TLRs and MyD88-dependent downstream events leading to proinflammatory cytokine production and splenocyte proliferation. However, recent studies using MyD88-deficient mice have revealed that some TLRs possess a MyD88-independent pathway, which is represented by interferon (IFN)-beta production induced by LPS stimulation. This indicates that additional signaling molecules other than MyD88 exist in the TLR signaling pathway. Indeed, two additional TIR domain-containing adaptors, TIRAP/Mal and TRIF, have recently been identified. Both define the specific biological responses of each TLR.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette Guerin infection of human neutrophils induces CXCL8 secretion by MyD88-dependent TLR2 and TLR4 activation.

To investigate the potential role of neutrophils in initiation of immune responses to mycobacteria, we have characterized the response of human neutrophils to infection with Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette Guerin, the BCG vaccine. BCG induced transcription and secretion of the chemokine CXCL8, by signalling through Toll-like receptors TLR2 and TLR4, in conjunction with the adaptor protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88). Blocking of responses with antibodies revealed a difference in the kinetics of signalling through the different TLRs. Anti-TLR2 antibody blocked the early phase of CXCL8 and MyD88 induction. Anti-TLR4 antibody blocked the late phase of induction occurring 2 h after infection. The existence of a TLR/MyD88 pathway for recognition and response to mycobacterial ligands provides neutrophils with the ability to drive the recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells during the early phase of mycobacterial infection and immunization.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

TLRs: Professor Mechnikov, sit on your hat.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are sensors of foreign microbial products, which initiate host defense responses in all multicellular organisms examined to date. They are the target for most adjuvants, are essential for the establishment of memory in T and B cells and provoke inflammation. They program dendritic cells in their interaction with Th1 cells and their signalling pathways enable a tailoring of host defense responses to the provoking microbe previously unsuspected in the innate arm of immunity. Their discovery and characterisation fills a void in immunology and is the culmination of an effort that began with one of immunology's founding fathers, Elie Mechnikov. Targeting TLRs therapeutically now has the potential to impact on how we treat infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Allergy and Immunology↗

CD55/decay accelerating factor is part of the lipopolysaccharide-induced receptor complex.

Recently, we described an 80-kDa lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding membrane protein to be identical to CD55 [decay accelerating factor (DAF)]. Here, we demonstrate that CD55 is able to contribute to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling. Transfection of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with human CD55 resulted in a translocation of NF-kappa B after stimulation with LPS as well as with free lipid A. In addition, interaction of lipid A and CD55 was shown by co-immuno-precipitation of these molecules from CHO-CD55 cells after incubation with lipid A and anti-lipid A monoclonal antibody, as well as by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis in human monocytes. The comparison of LPS-induced signaling pathways in CHO-CD55 and CHO-CD14 cells revealed that p38, JNK and ERK MAP kinases are activated upon LPS stimulation in both cell lines, and that the activation by LPS can be blocked at the level of Toll-like receptor 4. Finally, through FRET analysis we could demonstrate LPS-induced clustering of CD55 and CD11/CD18 in human monocytes. Our results imply a new functional role of CD55 as a member of a multimeric LPS receptor complex.

Animals↗

Prevention of injuries at work: the role of the occupational physician.

OBJECTIVES: To highlight the role of occupational physician (OP) in occupational injuries (OI) prevention and management. To suggest an approach beyond traditional focus on descriptive epidemiology, engineering interventions, administrative aspects of OI prevention. To promote a person- and enterprise-tailored approach, entailing greater attention to human factors and to practical problems of the specific workplace, with a call to a leading role played by OP. METHODS AND RESULTS: Analysis of the literature on the broader topic of OI prevention revealed thousands of publications; however, only a handful of them mention or describe the participation of OP in OI prevention. While recognizing that literature search is not the proper and only way to appreciate the current role of OP in this field, therefore, it seems necessary to call OP to a stronger effort in prevention and management of OI, through the context of a comprehensive intervention in cooperation with managers, supervisors, safety personnel and workers, focusing on specific needs of each enterprise. The following areas of OP intervention were examined: risk assessment, health surveillance, management, scientific research and health education. Within each of these topics, possible contributions, methodologies, instruments available for the OP were discussed, taking into account the relevant literature. Pathways for practical applications were illustrated, e.g., OI data generation and analyses, predictors of OI, fitness for work, case management, team work, educational issues, first aid, suggestion for OP contribution in specific research questions. CONCLUSIONS: OI continue to take a remarkable toll from individuals and society. New multidisciplinary interventions are needed to prevent OI. Focused activities at the single worksite with a central role from OP are definite options. OP is an effective interface between workforce and management and may offer, through a proactive approach, valuable practical and cultural contributions, while respecting technical and ethical guidelines of occupational health professionals.

Accidents, Occupational↗

Arabidopsis SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED GENE101 stabilizes and signals within an ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 complex in plant innate immunity.

Plant innate immunity against invasive biotrophic pathogens depends on the intracellular defense regulator ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1). We show here that Arabidopsis thaliana EDS1 interacts in vivo with another protein, SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED GENE101 (SAG101), discovered through a proteomic approach to identify new EDS1 pathway components. Together with PHYTOALEXIN-DEFICIENT4 (PAD4), a known EDS1 interactor, SAG101 contributes intrinsic and indispensable signaling activity to EDS1-dependent resistance. The combined activities of SAG101 and PAD4 are necessary for programmed cell death triggered by the Toll-Interleukin-1 Receptor type of nucleotide binding/leucine-rich repeat immune receptor in response to avirulent pathogen isolates and in restricting the growth of normally virulent pathogens. We further demonstrate by a combination of cell fractionation, coimmunoprecipitation, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments the existence of an EDS1-SAG101 complex inside the nucleus that is molecularly and spatially distinct from EDS1-PAD4 associations in the nucleus and cytoplasm. By contrast, EDS1 homomeric interactions were detected in the cytoplasm but not inside the nucleus. These data, combined with evidence for coregulation between individual EDS1 complexes, suggest that dynamic interactions of EDS1 and its signaling partners in multiple cell compartments are important for plant defense signal relay.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The 19-kDa Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein induces macrophage apoptosis through Toll-like receptor-2.

Macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis undergo increased rates of apoptosis. Important objectives are to define the microbial factors that cause apoptosis, the mechanisms involved and the impact on infection. The 19-kDa M. tuberculosis glycolipoprotein (p19) is both cell wall-associated and secreted and is a candidate virulence factor. We investigated the potential of recombinant, His-tagged p19 lacking the secretion/acylation signal to induce macrophage apoptosis. The TUNEL assay and annexin V binding to membrane phosphatidylserine were used to measure apoptosis. The results show that p19 does act to induce apoptosis in differentiated THP-1 cells and monocyte-derived macrophages and that this effect is both dose- and time-dependent. Furthermore, this effect of p19 is Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2-mediated because preincubation of either THP-1 cells or TLR-2-expressing CHO cells with anti-TLR-2 mAb inhibited apoptosis induced by p19. Apoptosis of macrophages in response to p19 was found to be caspase-8 dependent and caspase-9 independent consistent with a transmembrane pathway signaling cell death through TLR-2. The viability of M. tuberculosis in cells undergoing apoptosis induced by p19 was significantly reduced suggesting the possibility that this may favor containment of infection. Although native p19 is a mycobacterial glycolipoprotein, based upon the use of recombinant p19 where the acylation signal had been removed, we conclude that it is the polypeptide component of p19 that is responsible for signaling through TLR-2 and that the lipid moiety is not required.

Animals↗

Functions of toll-like receptors: lessons from KO mice.

The innate immune response is a first-line defense system in which individual Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize distinct pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and exert subsequent immune responses against a variety of pathogens. TLRs are composed of an extracellular leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain and a cytoplasmic domain that is homologous to that of the IL-IR family. Upon stimulation, TLR recruits a cytoplasmic adaptor molecule MyD88, then IL-IR-associated kinase (IRAK), and finally induces activation of NF-kappaB and MAP kinases. However, the responses to TLR ligands differ, indicating the diversity of TLR signaling pathways. Besides MyD88, several novel adaptor molecules have recently been identified. Differential utilization of these adaptor molecules may provide the specificity in the TLR signaling.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Activation of complement C3, C5, and C9 genes in tumors treated by photodynamic therapy.

Cancer therapies, which deliver a rapidly induced massive tumor tissue injury, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), provoke a strong host response raised for dealing with the inflicted local trauma. Activated complement system was identified as an important element of host response elicited by tumor PDT. The expression of genes encoding complement proteins C3, C5, and C9 was studied following tumor PDT mediated by photosensitizer Photofrin using mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) model. Treated tumors and the livers of host mice were collected at different times after PDT and the expression of the investigated genes was analyzed by RT-PCR. The results show a significant up-regulation of C3, C5, and C9 genes in PDT-treated tumors at 24 h after therapy, while no significant increase in the expression of these genes was found in the liver tissues. The expression of C3, C5, and C9 genes also became up-regulated in untreated tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) co-incubated in vitro with PDT-treated LLC cells. This effect was abolished or drastically reduced in the presence of antibodies blocking heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4, and specific peptide inhibitors of TIRAP adapter protein and transcription factor NF-kappaB. The presented study reveals that complement genes C3, C5, and C9 become up-regulated in tumors treated by PDT, but not in the host's liver. Tumor-localized up-regulation of these genes can be largely attributed to monocytes/macrophages invading the treated lesion after PDT. This effect appears to be induced by the recognition of danger signals from PDT-treated tumor cells such as HSP70 by TAMs that involve the TLR2- and TLR4-triggered signal transduction pathways leading to the activation of NF-kappaB.

Animals↗

How Toll-like receptors and Nod-like receptors contribute to innate immunity in mammals.

Innate immune detection of pathogens relies on specific classes of microbial sensors called pattern-recognition molecules (PRM). In mammals, such PRM include Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the intracellular proteins NOD1 and NOD2, which belong to the family of Nod-like receptors (NLRs). Over the last decade as these molecules were discovered, a function in innate immunity has been assigned for the majority of them and, for most, the microbial motifs that these molecules detect were identified. One of the next challenges in innate immunity is to establish a better understanding of the complex interplay between signaling pathways induced simultaneously by distinct PRMs and how this affects tailoring first-line responses and the induction of adaptive immunity to a given pathogen.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Inhibition of IFN-alpha signaling by a PKC- and protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2-dependent pathway.

Cytokine signaling by the Jak-STAT pathway is subject to complex negative regulation that limits the amplitude and duration of signal transduction. Inhibition of signaling also mediates negative crosstalk, whereby factors with opposing biological activities crossinhibit each other's function. Here, we investigated a rapidly inducible mechanism that inhibited Jak-STAT activation by IFN-alpha, a cytokine that is important for antiviral responses, growth control, and modulation of immune responses. IFN-alpha-induced signaling and gene activation were inhibited by ligation of Fc receptors and Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 in a PKCbeta-dependent manner. Neither PKCbeta nor PKCdelta influenced responses of cells treated with IFN-alpha alone. Inhibition of IFN-alpha signaling correlated with suppression of IFN-alpha-dependent antiviral responses. PKC-mediated inhibition did not require de novo gene expression but involved the recruitment of PKCbeta to the IFN-alpha receptor and interaction with protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2, resulting in augmented phosphatase activity. PKC-mediated inhibition of IFN-alpha signaling was abolished in SHP-2-deficient cells, demonstrating a pivotal role for SHP-2 in this inhibitory pathway. Together, our data describe a rapidly inducible, direct mechanism of inhibition of Jak-STAT signaling mediated by a PKCbeta-SHP-2 signaling pathway.

Animals↗

The role of Toll-like receptor signalling in the pathogenesis of arthritis.

Recent evidence highlighted the role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as key recognition structures of the innate immune system. The activation of TLRs initiates the production of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, tissue destructive enzymes, and type I interferons. In addition, TLR signalling plays an important role in the activation and direction of the adaptive immune system by the upregulation of costimulatory molecules of antigen presenting cells. Considering the important role of TLR signalling as a critical link between innate and adaptive immunity it has been proposed that a dysregulation in TLR signalling might be associated with autoimmunity. In this review, recent studies on TLR signal transduction pathways activated by corresponding ligands are summarized and evidence for a possible role of TLR signalling in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis is discussed.

Animals↗

IRF-7 is the master regulator of type-I interferon-dependent immune responses.

The type-I interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) response is critical to immunity against viruses and can be triggered in many cell types by cytosolic detection of viral infection, or in differentiated plasmacytoid dendritic cells by the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) subfamily, which generates signals via the adaptor MyD88 to elicit robust IFN induction. Using mice deficient in the Irf7 gene (Irf7-/- mice), we show that the transcription factor IRF-7 is essential for the induction of IFN-alpha/beta genes via the virus-activated, MyD88-independent pathway and the TLR-activated, MyD88-dependent pathway. Viral induction of MyD88-independent IFN-alpha/beta genes is severely impaired in Irf7-/- fibroblasts. Consistently, Irf7-/- mice are more vulnerable than Myd88-/- mice to viral infection, and this correlates with a marked decrease in serum IFN levels, indicating the importance of the IRF-7-dependent induction of systemic IFN responses for innate antiviral immunity. Furthermore, robust induction of IFN production by activation of the TLR9 subfamily in plasmacytoid dendritic cells is entirely dependent on IRF-7, and this MyD88-IRF-7 pathway governs the induction of CD8+ T-cell responses. Thus, all elements of IFN responses, whether the systemic production of IFN in innate immunity or the local action of IFN from plasmacytoid dendritic cells in adaptive immunity, are under the control of IRF-7.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗