Title
Toll-like receptors 1 and 6 are involved in TLR2-mediated macrophage activation by hepatitis C virus core and NS3 proteins
UMMS Affiliation
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Date
6-28-2007
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Animals; Cytokines; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Flow Cytometry; Hepacivirus; Hepatitis C; Humans; Interleukin-10; Kidney; Ligands; Luminescent Proteins; *Macrophage Activation; Macrophages, Peritoneal; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Monocytes; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Small Interfering; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Toll-Like Receptor 1; Toll-Like Receptor 2; Toll-Like Receptor 6; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Viral Core Proteins; Viral Nonstructural Proteins
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of end-stage liver disease through sustained inflammation of the liver produced by the host's immune system. The mechanism for HCV evasion or activation of the immune system is not clear. TLRs are cellular activators of the innate immune system. We recently reported that TLR2-mediated innate immune signaling pathways are activated by HCV core and NS3 proteins. TLR2 activation requires homo- or heterodimerization with TLR1 or TLR6. Here, we aimed to determine whether TLR2 coreceptors participated in cellular activation by HCV core or NS3 proteins. By designing small interfering RNAs targeted to TLR2, TLR1, and TLR6, we showed that knockdown of each of these receptors impairs pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine activation by TLR-specific ligands as well as by HCV core and NS3 proteins in human embryonic kidney-TLR2 cells and in primary human macrophages. We found that HCV core and NS3 proteins induced TNF-alpha and IL-10 production in human monocyte-derived macrophages, which was impaired by TLR2, TLR1, and TLR6 knockdown. Contrary to human data, results from TLR2, TLR1, or TLR6 knockout mice indicated that the absence of TLR2 and its coreceptor TLR6, but not TLR1, prevented the HCV core and NS3 protein-induced peritoneal macrophage activation. In conclusion, TLR2 may use TLR1 and TLR6 coreceptors for HCV core- and NS3-mediated activation of macrophages and innate immunity in humans. These results imply that multiple pattern recognition receptors could participate in cellular activation by HCV proteins.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Leukoc Biol. 2007 Sep;82(3):479-87. Epub 2007 Jun 26. Link to article on publisher's site