Prenatal protection through TLRs

Innate Immune Responses through TLRs Cutting Edge: Cardiac Myosin Activates

Cutting edge: cardiac myosin activates innate immune responses through TLRs.

Autoimmune attack on the heart is linked to host immune responses against cardiac myosin, the most abundant protein in the heart. Although adaptive immunity is required for disease, little is known about innate immune mechanisms. In this study we report that human cardiac myosin (HCM) acted as an endogenous ligand to directly stimulate human TLRs 2 and 8 and to activate human monocytes to relea...

Protection against Prenatal Alcohol-Induced Damage

F etal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most common, nongenetic cause of mental retardation, and has a signifi cant national health impact [1]. Meeting the criteria for this condition requires the identifi cation of specifi c features, involving craniofacial dysmorphology (particularly midfacial anomalies), growth retardation, and defi cits in brain function. Most children with alcohol-induced pre...

Therapeutic Administration of Recombinant Paracoccin Confers Protection against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Infection: Involvement of TLRs

BACKGROUND Paracoccin (PCN) is an N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectin from the human pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Recombinant PCN (rPCN) induces a T helper (Th) 1 immune response when prophylactically administered to BALB/c mice, protecting them against subsequent challenge with P. brasiliensis. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of rPCN in experimental par...

TLRs and chronic inflammation.

After the discovery of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), innate immune mechanisms came back in the focus of scientific research. With more and more mechanisms of TLR biology known, it has become clear that these and also other innate immune receptors are not only of crucial importance in the immune response to invading pathogens, but also play a role in the homeostasis of commensal flora and in the r...