TLR2和TLR4在抗病毒天然免疫应答中的新作用

越来越多的研究表明TLR2和TLR4参与宿主细胞抗病毒感染的天然免疫应答,为了进一步了解TLR2和TLR4的新作用,本文重点归纳TLR2和TLR4的细胞定位、活化的信号途径和介导的细胞因子反应及其共受体,详细总结TLR2和TLR4识别的病毒及介导的抗病毒天然免疫应答,指出TLR2与TLR4互作的新方式,旨在为宿主抗病毒感染的新机制提供新思路。     

天然免疫系统新成员Akirin的研究进展

天然免疫系统是多细胞动物抵御细菌感染的第一道防线。Akirin是新近发现于果蝇中的天然免疫系统新成员,它在果蝇免疫缺陷(Imd)通路中发挥重要作用。Akirin同源基因广泛存在于从低等多细胞生物到高等脊椎动物中,进化上高度保守。已有的研究表明:Akirin在果蝇Imd通路和脊椎动物TLR通路下游,与NF-κB家族转录因子形成复合物,参与调控免疫相关靶基因的转录,是天然免疫调控机制中不可或缺的转录因子,其过表达或缺失直接影响动物对细菌的防御能力。近年来,Akirin在相关信号通路中的功能研究取得重大进展。该文对Akirin的结构、参与天然免疫的分子调控机制以及基因进化等方面进行综述。     

甘肃不同地区绵羊TLR9基因多态性分析

针对由于急、慢性呼吸道引起的生产性能降低甚至死亡,选择与该病相关的基因TLR9为研究对象,分析群体中该基因的遗传多态性及变异特征,为进一步揭示舍饲绵羊的遗传特性和生产利用提供基础数据。采用PCR-SSCP检测427只表型正常和58只患呼吸道疾病的舍饲绵羊TLR9基因的多态性,测序群体内变异的各等位基因数列,并构建系统发育树以明确舍饲绵羊TLR9基因等位基因之间的遗传关系。结果显示,甘肃地区绵羊在TLR9基因中发现了4个等位基因,共7个核苷酸多态位点,这些位点多是由点突变形成,其中转换4个(占57.14%),颠换3个(占42.86%)。甘肃地区绵羊TLR9基因具有较丰富的多态性;TLR9基因多态性与绵羊呼吸道疾病有一定的相关性。     

海洋动物Toll样受体的研究进展

Toll样受体(Toll-like receptor,TLR)是先天性免疫系统中古老的模式识别受体家族,一直都是免疫学家研究的焦点。从最古老的后生动物——海绵到高等的海洋脊椎动物——硬骨鱼中都有TLR存在。阐述处于不同进化地位海洋动物的TLR及其信号通路分子,TLR基因结构域混编和多态性机制,有助于揭示脊椎动物TLR的起源和预防海洋经济动物病害。     

TLR4基因启动子区多态性及其对蛋白表达的影响

目的:检测中国人群Toll样受体4(Toll-like receptor 4,TLR4)基因5′调控区的单核苷酸多态性(single nucleotidepolymorphisms,SNPs),探讨其与TLR4蛋白表达的关系.方法:采用聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性法(PCR-RFLP)对正常汉族人群样本TLR4启动子区-2242、-1892和-1837这3个可能有意义的SNP位点进行基因分型,以确定中国人群中TLR4基因启动子区SNP基因型和发生频率.取其中89例全血标本用全血培养模型检测内毒素刺激前后TLR4蛋白的表达变化,进一步探讨TLR4启动子区单核苷酸多态性对其蛋白表达的影响.结果:TLR4启动子区-2242、-1892和-1837这3个可能有意义的SNP住点等位基因频率分别是43.27%、27.70%和42.75%.TLR4蛋白表达检测结果表明内毒素刺激后-2242位点TC与CC基因型TLR4蛋白的表达显著高于TT基因型(P<0.05),其它位点则没有影响.结论:中国汉族人群中TLR4基因启动子区-2242位点可能是脓毒症关联分析重要的遗传标记.     

TLR4基因多态性与感染性ARDS易感性的相关性研究

目的研究Toll样受体4(TLR4)基因Asp299Gly、Thr399Ile多态性与感染性急性呼吸窘迫综合征(ARDS)的关系。方法采用多聚酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性(PCR-RFLP)方法,对40例感染性ARDS患者和50名健康人进行TLR4等位基因Asp299Gly和Thr399Ile的基因型检测。结果在感染性ARDS患者和健康体检者中,TLR4受体基因Asp299Gly、Thr399Ile两位点的基因型之间差异无统计学意义(χ2=0.043,P=0.635;χ2=0.071,P=0.583)。结论感染性ARDS患者的TLR4基因Asp299Gly和Thr399Ile多态性与感染性ARDS发病无显著相关性。     

Toll样受体5基因多态性与中国人群脓毒症的相关性研究

目的探讨Toll样受体5（Toll-likereceptor5,TLR5）基因多态性位点与脓毒症发生风险及疾病严重程度的相关性。方法采用病例一对照研究设计,募集了255例脓毒症患者和260例对照个体。应用贝克曼公司的商用SNPstream分型技术和PCR—RFLP方法对TLR5基因的3个编码区多态性位点进行分型。采用Logistic回归分析,校正性别、年龄、吸烟和饮酒、慢性病状态、APACHEⅡ评分和脓毒症病因等混杂因素的影响,评价多态性位点与脓毒症的发生风险,以及脓毒症性休克、死亡和器官功能障碍等表型的遗传相关性。结果TLR5基因的3个多态性位点在病例和对照组中的基因型分布均呈哈．温平衡状态。这3个编码区的多态性位点与脓毒症的发生风险和疾病严重程度均无遗传学关联。结论TLR5基因的多态性位点可能在脓毒症的发生、发展和病程转归中不发挥重要作用。     

中国汉族女性TLR7基因主要编码区的全长扩增及多态性分析

目的:扩增TLR7主要编码区外显子3(exon 3)的全长基因片段并进行基因多态性分析,筛选健康人群中TLR7基因的主要SNP位点.方法:采用酚-氯仿抽提方法从28例健康女性血样中提取基因组DNA,采用长片段扩增方法分别扩增TLR7 exon 3区的3个片段,测序、拼接后进行多态性分析.结果:采用LA-Taq酶体系成功扩增TLR7 exon 3区基因片段;经与Genbank数据库中TLR7参考序列比较,我国女性TLR7基因序列高度保守,仅出现了4个点突变,并发现1个SNP位点RS3853839,表现为GG、CG和CC三种基因型.结论:建立了TLR7编码区基因扩增方法,筛选到1个TLR7SNP位点RS3853839,可为分析TLR7多态性与多种病毒感染性疾病的关系提供参考.     

Toll样受体识别机制及其生物学意义

Toll样受体介导的信号转导通路在对抗外来病原体的天然免疫应答中起重要作用。Toll样受体是一个天然模板识别受体家族,能识别固有性模板(微生物和哺乳动物所共有的病原相联的分子模板PAMPs)。Toll样受体通过巨噬细胞和其他免疫细胞来识别,其中TLR4识别内毒素、TLR2识别肽聚糖、TLR9识别细菌DNA、TLR5识别鞭毛蛋白、TLR3识别双链RNA等。本探讨了多种Toll受体家族成员在动物体内识别机理及功能,概述了其应用研究进展。     

髓样分化蛋白-2在天然免疫中的作用

Toll样受体 (Toll likereceptor ,TLR)家族作为模式识别受体 ,在天然免疫中具有重要作用。髓样分化蛋白 2 (myeloiddifferentialprotein 2 ,MD 2 )可能含有两个相对独立的功能结构域 ,既能与Toll样受体家族中的TLR4、TLR2结合 ,也能与多种配体结合 (包括lipopolysaccharide ,LPS)。这种特殊的结构可能与其三方面的主要功能有关 :(1)MD 2与TLR4结合 ,赋予TLR4对各种配体 (包括LPS)的反应性 ;(2 )MD 2与TLR2结合 ,赋予TLR2对LPS的反应性 ,并增强TLR2对细菌及其胞壁成分的反应性 ;(3)MD 2能促进TLR4和TLR2的表达 ,并且与TLR4在细胞内的分布密切相关。这表明MD 2可以通过两种方式直接或间接调控TLRs的功能 :与TLR2 /TLR4结合 ,或调控TLR2 /TLR4的表达与分布。因而MD 2不仅仅是TLR4的辅助分子 ,而且还是天然免疫中的调控分子 ,可能在感染、炎症、免疫等病理生理过程中具有更广泛的生物学功能     

High variability of TLR4 gene in different ethnic groups in Iran

Infectious diseases exert a constant evolutionary pressure on the innate immunity genes. TLR4, an important member of the TLR family, specifically recognizes conserved structures of various infectious pathogens. Two functional TLR4 polymorphisms, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile, modulate innate host defense against infections, and their prevalence between various populations has been proposed to be influenced by local infectious pressures. If this assumption is true, strong local infectious pressures would lead to a homogeneous pattern of these ancient TLR4 polymorphisms in geographically-close populations, while a weak selection or genetic drift may result in a diverse pattern. We evaluated TLR4 polymorphisms in 15 ethnic groups in Iran, to assess whether infections exerted selective pressures on different haplotypes containing these variants. The Iranian subpopulations displayed a heterogeneous pattern of TLR4 polymorphisms, comprising various percentages of Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile, alone or in combination. The Iranian sample, as a whole, showed an intermediate mixed pattern when compared with commonly-found patterns in Africa, Europe, Eastern Asia and the Americas. These findings suggest a weak, or absent, selection pressure on TLR4 polymorphisms in the Middle-East that does not support the assumption of an important role of these polymorphisms in the host defense against local pathogens.     

May TLR4 Asp299Gly and IL17 His161Arg polymorphism be associated with progression of primary measles infection to subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

SSPE is a progressive neurological disorder of children. Only some of the children who are infected with measles virus develop SSPE, which supports individual variation. TLR-2 and TLR-4 play an important role in innate immunity by recognizing envelope proteins of MV. Another important cytokine that plays an important role in orchestrating innate immune function is IL-17. The purpose of our study is to elucidate whether the TLR2, TLR4, IL17F and IL17A gene polymorphisms are susceptibility genes for the development of SSPE.     

Innate immunity in alcoholic liver disease

Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of chronic liver disease in the Western world. Alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress are important mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. However, emerging evidence suggests that activation of innate immunity involving TLR4 and complement also plays an important role in initiating alcoholic steatohepatitis and fibrosis, but the role of adaptive immunity in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease remains obscure. Activation of a TLR4-mediated MyD88-independent (TRIF/IRF-3) signaling pathway in Kupffer cells contributes to alcoholic steatohepatitis, whereas activation of TLR4 signaling in hepatic stellate cells promotes liver fibrosis. Alcohol consumption activates the complement system in the liver by yet unidentified mechanisms, leading to alcoholic steatohepatitis. In contrast to activation of TLR4 and complement, alcohol consumption can inhibit natural killer cells, another important innate immunity component, contributing to alcohol-mediated acceleration of viral infection and liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Understanding of the role of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease may help us identify novel therapeutic targets to treat this disease.     

Sequence variability and protein domain architectures for bovine Toll-like receptors 1, 5, and 10

The mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the recognition of invading pathogens and the modulation of innate immune responses. The primary objective of this study was to characterize single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion-deletion polymorphisms (indels) within bovine TLRs 1, 5, and 10, thereby facilitating future TLR signaling and association studies relevant to bovine innate immunity. Comparative sequence analysis for 10 bovine breeds derived from Bos taurus and Bos indicus revealed 98 polymorphisms (92 SNPs and 6 indels), with at least 14 nonsynonymous SNPs located within predicted TLR domains considered to be of functional significance. Of the 98 polymorphisms detected, 94 are reported here for the first time. Notably, 2 nonsynonymous SNPs were determined to modulate the prediction of a novel leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain within B. indicusTLR5. Prediction and comparison of TLR protein domain architectures for multiple species revealed seven conserved regions of LRR patterning associated with the three genes investigated.     

Involvement of toll-like receptor 4 in innate immunity to respiratory syncytial virus

The mammalian Toll-like receptor 4, TLR4, is an important component in the innate immune response to gram-negative bacterial infection. The role of TLR4 in antiviral immunity has been largely unexplored. In this study, the in vivo immune responses to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus infection were examined in TLR4-deficient (C57BL/10ScNCr) and TLR4-expressing (C57BL/10Sn) mice. TLR4-deficient mice challenged with RSV, but not influenza virus, exhibited impaired natural killer (NK) cell and CD14(+) cell pulmonary trafficking, deficient NK cell function, impaired interleukin-12 expression, and impaired virus clearance compared to mice expressing TLR4. These findings suggest that Toll signaling pathways have an important role in innate immunity to RSV.     

Toll样受体与抗结核感染免疫

结核分枝杆菌(MTB)是结核病的致病菌,其发病机制仍未阐明。Toll样受体(TLR)蛋白家族属于动物模式识别受体家族。研究表明,TLR对先天免疫和获得性免疫都有调控作用,与抗结核感染免疫有关的主要是TLR2和TLR4。对TLR的研究为MTB诱导先天免疫反应机制的阐明以及治疗方法的进步提供了新的思路。     

Toll-like receptor 4 polymorphism impairing lipopolysaccharide signaling in Sus scrofa, and its restricted distribution among Japanese wild boar populations

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) responds to lipid A, the active moiety of lipopolysaccharide from gram-negative bacteria, in cooperation with myeloid differentiation protein-2 and plays a vital role in innate immunity. Polymorphisms in TLR4 are associated with changes in susceptibility to various infectious diseases. We previously found seven amino acid polymorphisms in Sus scrofa TLR4. In this study, we showed by luciferase reporter assay that an alteration from cysteine to tryptophan at position 506 (C506W) caused loss of ability to induce nuclear factor-κB activation after lipid A stimulation. This polymorphism was found only in Japanese wild boar (JWB) populations of S. scrofa. Genotyping of TLR4 in different JWB populations revealed that C506W polymorphism was under pressure from purifying selection in a local population (Tajima's D=-0.98; p<0.05). However, in another population, this polymorphism existed at a frequency such that homozygous animals with the W506 alleles seldom appeared. These findings suggest that the C506W polymorphism is under different types of pressure by natural selection between populations, which may reflect differences in residential pathogens or demographic factors.     

Signaling pathway of autophagy associated with innate immunity

Autophagy has recently been shown to be an important component of the innate immune response. The signaling pathways leading to activation of autophagy in innate immunity are not well studied. Our recent study shows that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4) serves as an environmental sensor for autophagy. We define a new molecular pathway in which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces autophagy in human and murine macrophages by a pathway regulated through Toll-interleukin 1 receptor domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-beta (TRIF)-dependent, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)-independent TLR4 signaling. Receptor-interacting protein (RIP1) and p38 mitogen-activated protein-kinase (MAPK) are downstream components of this pathway. This signaling pathway does not affect cell viability, indicating that it is distinct from an autophagic death signaling pathway. We further show that LPS-induced autophagy can enhance mycobacterial co-localization with the autophagosomes. The above study raises important questions. (1) What is the complete signaling pathway for LPS-induced autophagy? (2) Does TLR3 mediate autophagy? (3) What are the mechanisms that determine whether autophagy acts as a pro-death or pro-survival pathway? (4) What are the physiological functions of LPS-induced autophagosomes? Future studies examining the above questions should provide us with important clues as to how autophagy is regulated in innate immunity, and how autophagy can be utilized in pathogen clearance.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of Toll-like receptor 4 decrease the risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a key innate immunity receptor that initiates an inflammatory response. Growing evidence suggests that mutation of TLR4 gene may play a role in the development of cancers. This study aimed to investigate the temporal relationship of single nucleotide polymorphisms of TLR4 and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a single center-based case-control study was conducted.

Methods

A systematic genetic analysis of sequence variants of TLR4 by evaluating ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms was performed from 216 hepatocellular carcinoma cases and 228 controls.

Results

Six single nucleotide polymorphisms of the TLR4 in the 5′-untranslated region and intron were associated with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Individuals carrying the heterozygous genotypes for the rs10759930, rs2737190, rs10116253, rs1927914, rs12377632 and rs1927911 had significantly decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (adjusted odds ratio [OR], from 0.527 to 0.578, P<0.01) comparing with those carrying wild-type homozygous genotypes. In haplotype analysis, one haplotype (GCCCTTAG) of TLR4 was associated significantly with decrease of the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (OR, 0.556, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.407–0.758, P = 0.000).

Conclusions

Collectively, these results suggested that the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma was associated with TLR4 sequence variation. TLR4 single nucleotide polymorphisms may play an important protective role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.