Lyme disease (LD) is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and displays different stages, including localized, early disseminated, and persistent infection, all of which are associated with profound inflammatory reactions in the host. Induction of proinflammatory cytokines by B. burgdorferi is mainly mediated by outer surface proteins interacting with TLR-2/TLR-1 heterodimers. In this study, we show t...

BACKGROUND Inflammation is implicated in atherogenesis and plaque disruption. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) and TLR-4, a human homologue of drosophila Toll, play an important role in the innate and inflammatory signaling responses to microbial agents. To investigate a potential role of these receptors in atherosclerosis, we assessed the expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 in murine and human atheroscl...

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen presenting cells for triggering of the immune reaction post transplantation. These cells are centrally involved in the initiation of T cell-dependent immune responses. Objective: To compare the level of DC maturation and function in liver transplant recipients with healthy controls. Methods: In this study, twelve peripheral blood samples we...

Influenza virus infection is recognized by the innate immune system through Toll like receptor (TLR) 7 and retinoic acid inducible gene I. These two recognition pathways lead to the activation of type I interferons and resistance to infection. In addition, TLR signals are required for the CD4 T cell and IgG2a, but not cytotoxic T lymphocyte, responses to influenza virus infection. In contrast, ...

Endogenous and pharmacologic glucocorticoids (GCs) limit inflammatory cascades initiated by Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation. A long-standing clinical observation has been the delay between GC administration and the manifestation of GC's anti-inflammatory actions. We hypothesized that the GCs would have inhibitory effects that target late temporal pathways that propagate proinflammatory sign...

OBJECTIVE Levels of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR-7) are elevated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the impact on RA is unknown because the endogenous ligand for TLR-7 has not been identified. The aim of this study was to identify a TLR-7 endogenous ligand and to determine its role in the pathogenesis of RA. METHODS The presence of an endogenous TLR-7 ligand, microRNA let-7b (miR-let-7b), was exa...

The chicken upper respiratory tract is the portal of entry for respiratory pathogens, such as avian influenza virus (AIV). The presence of microorganisms is sensed by pathogen recognition receptors (such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs)) of the innate immune defenses. Innate responses are essential for subsequent induction of potent adaptive immune responses, but little information is available ab...

Reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog/nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells 1 (Rel/NF-kappaB) activation is a ubiquitous outcome of engaging Toll-like receptors (TLRs), yet the cell-type-specific functions of this pathway in response to particular microbial signals remain poorly defined. Here we show that NF-kappaB1 and C-Rel, Rel/NF-kappaB proteins induced i...

Rho GTPases are essential regulators of signaling networks emanating from many receptors involved in innate or adaptive immunity. The Rho family member RhoA controls cytoskeletal processes as well as the activity of transcription factors such as NFB, C/EBP, and serum response factor. The multifaceted host cell activation triggered by TLRs in response to soluble and particulate microbial structu...

SINI TANG (SNT) IS A TRADITIONAL CHINESE HERBAL FORMULA CONSISTING OF FOUR DIFFERENT HERBS: the root of Aconitum carmichaelii, the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, and the root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. This study aims to evaluate the improvement of early ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in myocardial infarction (MI) rats by SNT. A MI model was establish...