Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is pivotal for recognition of S. aureus peptidoglycan but not intact bacteria by microglia.

ABSTRACT: Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is a pattern recognition receptor that plays an important role in enabling cells of the innate immune system to recognize conserved structural motifs on a wide array of pathogens including gram-positive bacteria. Although microglia have recently been shown to express TLR2, the functional significance of this receptor in mediating microglial activation remains unknown. To ascertain the importance of TLR2 in microglial responses to S. aureus and its cell wall product peptidoglycan (PGN), we evaluated primary microglia from TLR2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. TLR2 was found to play a pivotal role in PGN recognition and subsequent activation in primary microglia, as demonstrated by the attenuated expression of TNF-alpha, IL-12 p40, MIP-2, and MCP-1 in PGN-tr

SUBMITTER: Kielian T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2394509 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature