Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that recognize conserved molecular patterns expressed by pathogens. Pneumolysin, an intracellular toxin found in all Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolates, is an important virulence factor of the pneumococcus that is recognized by TLR4. Although TLR2 is considered the most important receptor for Gram-positive bacteria, our labora...

OBJECTIVE The intracellular bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae is present in many atherosclerotic lesions, where it could promote inflammation. This study determined whether monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) release is stimulated in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) that are exposed to or infected by C pneumoniae and whether toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) or TLR4 mediate these effects. M...

Objective(s): High Mobility Group Box1 (HMGB1) is a nonhistone, DNA-binding protein that serves a crucial role in regulating gene transcription and is involved in a variety of proinflammatory, extracellular activities. The aim of this study was to explore whether HMGB1 stimulation can up-regulate the expression of Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2) and Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) on macrophages from p...

background: recognition of helminth-derived pathogen associated molecular patterns (pamps) by pattern recognition receptors (prrs), including toll like recep­tors (tlrs) is the first step towards initiating anti–helminth immune re­sponses. methods : using somatic antigens of ostertagia occidentalis, an important abomasal parasite of ruminants, the expression of ovine tlr2 and tlr4 in peripheral...

Previous studies have indicated that peptidoglycan (PepG) from gram-positive bacteria can exert a priming effect on the innate immune response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria. Here, we hypothesized that this priming effect may be preceded by enhanced expression of monocyte CD14, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), and TLR4. In an ex vivo whole human blood model, we observed a s...

Gram-negative bacterial infection is a major cause of sepsis and septic shock. An important inducer of inflammation underlying both syndromes is the cellular recognition of bacterial products through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including Toll-like receptors (TLRs). We identified a novel antagonistic mAb (named 1A6) that recognizes the extracellular portion of the TLR4-MD-2 complex. If...

The initial TLR-mediated interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and dendritic cells is critical, since the cytokine production that ensues can greatly influence the class of adaptive immunity that is generated to the pathogen. In this study, we therefore determined the dependency on TLR2 and TLR4 for M. tuberculosis-induced cytokine production by murine dendritic cells. A key new findin...

The objective of this study was to identify possible changes in mRNA and protein expression of high-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) and its suggested receptors - receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 - in human cervix during pregnancy, term and preterm labor. Cervical biopsies were taken from 58 women: 20 at preterm labor, 24 at term l...