The toll-like receptor (TLR) has been suggested as a candidate cause for diabetic nephropathy. Recently, we have reported the TLR4 expression in diabetic mouse glomerular endothelium. The study here investigates the effects of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which is a ligand for TLR2 and TLR4 in diabetic nephropathy. In laser-scanning microscopy of gl...

Inflammatory colorectal polyps (ICRPs) frequently occur in miniature dachshunds (MDs) in Japan. MDs with ICRPs develop multiple polyps with severe neutrophil infiltration that respond to immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, ICRPs are thought to constitute a novel, breed-specific form of canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) play a key role in the distinc...

In severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), immunologic impairment in the early phase may be linked to subsequent infectious complications that are main contributor to the high mortality. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize microorganisms as the innate immune system, and are involved in host defense mechanism. TLR2 recognizes lipoteichoic acid (LTA) of gram-positive bacteria, and TLR4 recognizes lipop...

The use of human whole blood for transcriptomic analysis has potential advantages over the use of isolated immune cells for studying the transcriptional response to pathogens and their products. Whole blood stimulation can be carried out in a laboratory without the expertise or equipment to isolate immune cells from blood, with the added advantage of being able to undertake experiments using ve...

To assess the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in host resistance to Mycobacterium avium infection, mice deficient in the TLR adaptor molecule myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), as well as TLR2(-/-) and TLR4(-/-) animals, were infected with a virulent strain of M. avium, and bacterial burdens and immune responses were compared with those in wild-type (WT) animals. MyD88(-/-) m...

BACKGROUND RHD is an autoimmune disease that arises following infection by S. pyogenes and imposes a heavy burden on public health. MATERIAL AND METHODS We detected 11 selected miRNAs expressed in the cardiac tissues of 11 RHD patients and 11 controls. By employing dual-luciferase assay and Western blot, we identified the relationship between TLR2 and miR-101 and miR-101. We used ELISA to tes...

BACKGROUND Acne inversa (hidradenitis suppurativa) is a chronic inflammatory and cicatricial disorder that affects skin areas rich in apocrine glands and terminal hairs, such as perineum and axillae. The exact pathogenesis of the disease is not well understood and the mechanisms by which bacterial superinfection contributes to the disease progression are not clear. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) ex...

BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus causes subclinical mastitis as well as persistent and chronic infections in cattle. Bovine mastitis induced by S. aureus is often refractory to antibiotic treatment. Local innate immune defenses play an important role in eliminating the invading bacteria. TLR2 and NOD2 are important pathogen recognition receptors, but their functions have not been investigated i...

Aflatoxins (AFs) are highly hazardous fungal biometabolites usually present in feeds and foods. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic and a known carcinogen. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), highly expressed by myeloid dendritic cells (DC), are key innate immune-surveillance molecules. Toll-like receptors not only sense pathogen-associated molecular patterns but also contribute to infections and can...

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States and a major cause of female infertility due to infection-induced Fallopian tube scarring. Epithelial cells are likely central to host defense and pathophysiology as they are the principal cell type productively infected by C. trachomatis. We generated cloned murine oviduct epithelial cell lines ...