Expression of Toll-like receptor 4 is associated with enteroviral replication in human myocarditis

2003 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 577-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamoru SATOH ◽  
Motoyuki NAKAMURA ◽  
Tomonari AKATSU ◽  
Junji IWASAKA ◽  
Yudai SHIMODA ◽  
...  

Previous studies have demonstrated that inflammatory cytokine expression associated with enteroviral (EV) infection may play an important role in human myocarditis. However, the mechanism of the host immune response against viral pathogens has not been fully understood. The aim of the present study was to determine whether Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and EV RNA are present in human myocarditis. Endomyocardial biopsy samples were obtained from 44 patients with myocarditis and five controls. Levels of plus- and minus-strand EV RNAs and TLR4 mRNA were measured by real-time reverse transcriptase–PCR. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to identify the cellular source of TLR4 and the EV capsid protein VP1. EV RNA was present in 21 patients with myocarditis and these patients were defined as having either active viral replication (n=15) or latent viral persistence (n=6). Neither strand of EV RNA was detected in controls. TLR4 mRNA expression levels were higher in myocarditis patients than in controls (TLR4/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ratio 1.48±0.17 compared with 0.08±0.06, P<0.001). A positive correlation was found between EV RNA and TLR4 levels (plus-strand vs TLR4: r=0.66, P<0.001; minus-strand vs TLR4: r=0.48, P<0.001). TLR4 immunostaining was observed in infiltrating cells and myocytes in patients with myocarditis. The EV capsid protein VP1 was also found in myocytes. The myocarditis group with EV replication and high levels of TLR4 showed significantly lower systolic function. The present study has shown that increased expression of TLR4 is associated with EV replication and that these RNA levels are related to cardiac dysfunction in human myocarditis.

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 599
Author(s):  
Víctor Farré-Alins ◽  
Alejandra Palomino-Antolín ◽  
Paloma Narros-Fernández ◽  
Ana Belen Lopez-Rodriguez ◽  
Céline Decouty-Perez ◽  
...  

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide without any validated biomarker or set of biomarkers to help the diagnosis and evaluation of the evolution/prognosis of TBI patients. To achieve this aim, a deeper knowledge of the biochemical and pathophysiological processes triggered after the trauma is essential. Here, we identified the serum amyloid A1 protein-Toll-like receptor 4 (SAA1-TLR4) axis as an important link between inflammation and the outcome of TBI patients. Using serum and mRNA from white blood cells (WBC) of TBI patients, we found a positive correlation between serum SAA1 levels and injury severity, as well as with the 6-month outcome of TBI patients. SAA1 levels also correlate with the presence of TLR4 mRNA in WBC. In vitro, we found that SAA1 contributes to inflammation via TLR4 activation that releases inflammatory cytokines, which in turn increases SAA1 levels, establishing a positive proinflammatory loop. In vivo, post-TBI treatment with the TLR4-antagonist TAK242 reduces SAA1 levels, improves neurobehavioral outcome, and prevents blood–brain barrier disruption. Our data support further evaluation of (i) post-TBI treatment in the presence of TLR4 inhibition for limiting TBI-induced damage and (ii) SAA1-TLR4 as a biomarker of injury progression in TBI patients.


2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 1833-1842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Flynn ◽  
Brian K. McFarlin ◽  
Melody D. Phillips ◽  
Laura K. Stewart ◽  
Kyle L. Timmerman

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of resistive exercise training and hormone status on mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), CD14, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Resistive exercise-trained women on “traditional” hormone replacements [hormone replacement therapy (HRT), n = 9], not taking hormones (NHR, n = 6), or taking medications known to influence bone (MIB, n = 7) were compared with untrained subjects not taking supplemental hormones (Con, n = 6). Blood was taken from trained subjects before, immediately after, and 2 h after resistive exercise (same time points for resting Con). TLR4 mRNA expression (RT-PCR) was not different among groups or across time but was significantly ( P = 0.044) lower (1.9-fold) when trained groups were collapsed and compared with Con. There was also a significant group effect ( P < 0.0001) for TLR4 mRNA when expressed per monocyte. CD14 expression was significantly ( P = 0.006) lower (2.3-fold) for training groups collapsed and compared with Con. CD14 mRNA, expressed per monocyte, was significantly lower immediately after resistive exercise for NHR, HRT, and MIB compared with Con. There were few significant effects detected for IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α mRNA, but there was a significant group effect ( P < 0.0001) for TNF-α mRNA expressed per monocyte (Con > HRT, NHR, MIB). These findings suggest that there may be a resistive exercise training-induced reduction in TLR4/CD14 expression in older women. Further research is needed to determine whether lower TLR4/CD14 could explain the lower LPS-stimulated inflammatory cytokines observed in these women.


Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 99 (9) ◽  
pp. 3427-3431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Bosisio ◽  
Nadia Polentarutti ◽  
Marina Sironi ◽  
Sergio Bernasconi ◽  
Kensuke Miyake ◽  
...  

Abstract In human monocytes and macrophages, interferon-γ (IFNγ) augmented mRNA and surface expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a crucial component of the signaling receptor complex for bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Expression of the accessory component MD-2 and of the adapter protein MyD88 was also increased. LPS increased TLR4 mRNA levels, but concomitantly decreased its surface expression. IFNγ counteracted the LPS-induced downregulation of TLR4. IFNγ-primed monocytes showed increased responsiveness to LPS in terms of phosphorylation of the interleukin-1 receptor–associated kinase (IRAK; immediately downstream of the MyD88 adapter protein), NF-kB DNA binding activity, and, accordingly, of cytokine (tumor necrosis factor α [TNFα] and interleukin-12 [IL-12]) production. These results suggest that enhanced TLR4 expression underlies the long-known priming by IFNγ of mononuclear phagocytes for pathogen recognition and killing as well as its synergism with LPS in macrophage activation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (5) ◽  
pp. H1743-H1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Ming Xiang Zhang ◽  
Xiao Meng ◽  
Fu Qiang Liu ◽  
Guang Sheng Yu ◽  
...  

In the present study, we tested our hypothesis that atorvastatin exerts its anti-inflammation effect via suppressing LPS-induced rapid upregulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA and its downstream p38, ERK, and NF-κB signaling pathways in human umbilical-vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). TLR4 mRNA expression and its downstream kinase activities induced by LPS alone or atorvastatin + LPS in endothelial cells were quantified using quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Preincubation of LPS-stimulated endothelial cells with TLR4 siRNA was conducted to identify the target of the anti-inflammatory effects of atorvastatin. Atorvastatin incubation resulted in the reduction of LPS-induced TLR4 mRNA expression, ERK1/2 and P38 MAPK phosphorylation, and NF-κB binding activity. Pretreatment with MEK/ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 attenuated atorvastatin + LPS-induced NF-κB activity but had no effect on P38 MAPK phosphorylation. In contrast, pretreatment with P38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 resulted in upregulation of atorvastatin + LPS-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation but had no significant effects on NF-κB activity. On the other hand, blocking NF-κB with SN50 produced no effects on atorvastatin + LPS-induced ERK1/2 and P38 MAPK phosphorylation. Moreover, TLR4 gene silencing produced the same effects as the atorvastatin treatment. In conclusion, atorvastatin downregulated TLR4 mRNA expression by two distinct signaling pathways. First, atorvastatin stabilized Iκ-Bα, which directly inhibited NF-κB activation. Second, atorvastatin inactivated ERK phosphorylation, which indirectly inhibited NF-κB activation. Suppression of p38 MAPK by atorvastatin upregulates ERK but exerts no effect on NF-κB.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 11823
Author(s):  
Elise L. Kessler ◽  
Jiong-Wei Wang ◽  
Bart Kok ◽  
Maike A. Brans ◽  
Angelique Nederlof ◽  
...  

Involvement of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in maladaptive cardiac remodeling and heart failure (HF) upon pressure overload has been studied extensively, but less is known about the role of TLR2. Interplay and redundancy of TLR4 with TLR2 have been reported in other organs but were not investigated during cardiac dysfunction. We explored whether TLR2 deficiency leads to less adverse cardiac remodeling upon chronic pressure overload and whether TLR2 and TLR4 additively contribute to this. We subjected 35 male C57BL/6J mice (wildtype (WT) or TLR2 knockout (KO)) to sham or transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery. After 12 weeks, echocardiography and electrocardiography were performed, and hearts were extracted for molecular and histological analysis. TLR2 deficiency (n = 14) was confirmed in all KO mice by PCR and resulted in less hypertrophy (heart weight to tibia length ratio (HW/TL), smaller cross-sectional cardiomyocyte area and decreased brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) mRNA expression, p < 0.05), increased contractility (QRS and QTc, p < 0.05), and less inflammation (e.g., interleukins 6 and 1β, p < 0.05) after TAC compared to WT animals (n = 11). Even though TLR2 KO TAC animals presented with lower levels of ventricular TLR4 mRNA than WT TAC animals (13.2 ± 0.8 vs. 16.6 ± 0.7 mg/mm, p < 0.01), TLR4 mRNA expression was increased in animals with the largest ventricular mass, highest hypertrophy, and lowest ejection fraction, leading to two distinct groups of TLR2 KO TAC animals with variations in cardiac remodeling. This variation, however, was not seen in WT TAC animals even though heart weight/tibia length correlated with expression of TLR4 in these animals (r = 0.078, p = 0.005). Our data suggest that TLR2 deficiency exacerbates adverse cardiac remodeling and that ventricular TLR2 and TLR4 additively contribute to adverse cardiac remodeling during chronic pressure overload. Therefore, both TLRs may be therapeutic targets to prevent or interfere in the underlying molecular processes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 119 (9) ◽  
pp. 395-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Takahashi ◽  
Mamoru Satoh ◽  
Yoshitaka Minami ◽  
Tsuyoshi Tabuchi ◽  
Tomonori Itoh ◽  
...  

The TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4) signal plays an important role in immunity in CAD (coronary artery disease). miR-146a/b (where miR is microRNA) regulates the TLR4 downstream molecules IRAK1 (interleukin-1-receptor-associated kinase 1) and TRAF6 (tumour-necrosis-factor-receptor-associated factor 6). It has also been reported that statins and RAS (renin–angiotensin system) inhibition and have anti-atherosclerotic properties. In the present study, we have investigated whether miR-146a/b was expressed with the TLR4 signal in CAD patients, and whether combined treatment with a statin and RAS inhibition might affect these levels. A total of 66 patients with CAD and 33 subjects without CAD (non-CAD) were enrolled. Patients with CAD were randomized to 12 months of combined treatment with atorvastatin and telmisartan [an ARB (angiotensin II receptor blocker)] or atorvastatin and enalapril [an ACEI (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor)]. PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) were obtained from peripheral blood at baseline and after 12 months. Levels of miR-146a/b, IRAK1 mRNA, TRAF6 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA/TLR4 protein were significantly higher in the CAD group than in the non-CAD group (all P<0.01). Levels of miR-146a/b were positively correlated with IRAK1 mRNA and TRAF6 mRNA levels. After 12 months of treatment, these levels were markedly decreased in the ARB and ACEI groups, with the decrease in the ARB group being greater than that in the ACEI group (all P<0.05). In our 12-month follow-up study, high levels of miR-146a and TLR4 mRNA/TLR4 protein at baseline were independent predictors of cardiac events. The present study demonstrates that combined treatment with an ARB and a statin decreases miR-146a/b and the TLR4 signal in CAD patients, possibly contributing to the anti-atherogenic effects of ARBs and statins in this disorder.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (3) ◽  
pp. L429-L437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetyana V. Pedchenko ◽  
Gye Young Park ◽  
Myungsoo Joo ◽  
Timothy S. Blackwell ◽  
John W. Christman

We hypothesized that PU.1 and PU.1 interacting proteins (PIP) binding to the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) promoter is involved in endotoxin-induced upregulation of TLR4 gene expression. Our results employing chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicate that PU.1 binds to the murine TLR4 promoter both in macrophage cells and, most importantly, in whole lung tissue. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with endotoxin induced the association of PU.1 and the TLR4 promoter in a time-dependent manner, and this was closely tied to interactions between the TLR4 promoter and the PIP interferon regulatory factors (IRF)4 and IRF8. PU.1 binding was related to increases in steady-state TLR4 mRNA and total TLR4 protein in RAW cells. Endotoxemia in animals caused the similar inducible interaction between PU.1 and IRF4 and the TLR4 promoter in lung tissue of mice that was treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin. PU.1 binding to the TLR4 promoter was not enhanced in the lung tissue of endotoxin-resistant C3H/HeJ mice in response to endotoxemia. Transient transfection studies in RAW cells indicate that inducible binding of PU.1 to the TLR4 promoter is abrogated by a Ser148 to Ala mutation in PU.1. These data suggest that induction of PU.1/PIP binding to the TLR4 promoter is involved in endotoxin response in vivo and may mediate transcriptional changes in TLR4 gene expression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yu Yeh ◽  
Shou-Hung Hung ◽  
Su-Chiu Chen ◽  
Fei-Ran Guo ◽  
Hsien-Liang Huang ◽  
...  

BackgroundStudies have shown in vitro that cigarette smoke condensate stimulates monocytes to express toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and enhances their adhesion to the endothelium. However, the same effects of cigarette smoking have not been explored in vivo. This study is to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on their mRNA expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).MethodsA group of 97 smokers and 62 nonsmokers were enrolled. The RNA from PBMCs was assessed with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the levels of ICAM-1, TNF-α, and TLR4. The same markers in PBMCs of 87 quitters were examined before and at one week, one month, and two months after smoking cessation.ResultsOf the 97 smokers, 85 (87.6%) were males, and 30 (48.4%) of the nonsmokers were males (p &lt; 0.0001). The mean (SD) age of the smokers was 43.24 (10.89) years, which was younger than 43.45 (11.41) years of nonsmokers (p &lt; 0.0001). The incidence of cardiovascular diseases was 13.4% in smokers, which was higher than 1.6% in nonsmokers (p &lt; 0.05). Both ICAM-1 and TNF-α mRNA levels in PBMCs were higher among the smokers (p &lt; 0.0001). In addition, TLR4 mRNA levels in PBMCs were statistically elevated in the smokers (p &lt; 0.0001) comparing with those in the nonsmokers. The mRNA levels of TLR4 and TNF-α in PBMCs decreased in those who had quit smoking for 2 months (p &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsICAM-1, TNF-α, and TLR4 mRNA expression levels in PBMCs increased in smokers and decreased after being on a smoking cessation program for 2 months. This finding suggested that TLR4 expression may mediate the atherogenic inflammatory process induced by smoking.


2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (2) ◽  
pp. L326-L333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R. Kleeberger ◽  
Sekhar P. M. Reddy ◽  
Liu-Yi Zhang ◽  
Hye-Youn Cho ◽  
Anne E. Jedlicka

We tested the hypotheses that 1) inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mediates ozone (O3)-induced lung hyperpermeability and 2) mRNA levels of the gene for iNOS ( Nos2) are modulated by Toll-like receptor 4 ( Tlr4) during O3exposure. Pretreatment of O3-susceptible C57BL/6J mice with a specific inhibitor of total NOS ( NG-monomethyl-l-arginine) significantly decreased the mean lavageable protein concentration (a marker of lung permeability) induced by O3(0.3 parts/million for 72 h) compared with vehicle control mice. Furthermore, lavageable protein in C57BL/B6 mice with targeted disruption of Nos2 [ Nos2(−/−)] was 50% less than the protein in wild-type [ Nos2(+/+)] mice after O3. To determine whether Tlr4 modulates Nos2 mRNA levels, we studied C3H/HeJ (HeJ) and C3H/HeOuJ mice that differ only at a missense mutation in Tlr4 that confers resistance to O3-induced lung hyperpermeability in the HeJ strain. Nos2 and Tlr4 mRNA levels were significantly reduced and correlated in resistant HeJ mice after O3relative to those in susceptible C3H/HeOuJ mice. Together, the results are consistent with an important role for iNOS in O3-induced lung hyperpermeability and suggest that Nos2 mRNA levels are mediated through Tlr4.


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