Open AccessCutting Edge: Impaired Toll-Like Receptor Expression and Function in Aging
Author(s) -
Mary Renshaw,
Julie Rockwell,
Carrie Engleman,
Andrew T. Gewirtz,
Jacqueline M. Katz,
Suryaprakash Sambhara
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.737
H-Index - 372
eISSN - 1550-6606
pISSN - 0022-1767
DOI - 10.4049/jimmunol.169.9.4697
Subject(s) - tlr5 , tlr3 , tlr9 , tlr2 , immune system , receptor , tlr4 , toll like receptor , biology , immunology , innate immune system , tlr7 , function (biology) , acquired immune system , pattern recognition receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , gene , genetics , dna methylation
Toll-like receptors (TLR) are pattern recognition receptors that recognize conserved molecular patterns on microbes and link innate and adaptive immune systems. We investigated whether the enhanced susceptibility to bacterial, yeast, and viral infections and poor adaptive immune responses in aging are a result of diminished expression and function of TLRs. We examined the expression and function of all murine TLRs on macrophages from young and aged mice. Both splenic and activated peritoneal macrophages from aged mice expressed significantly lower levels of all TLRs. Furthermore, macrophages from aged mice secreted significantly lower levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha when stimulated with known ligands for TLR1 and 2, 2 and 6,TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR9 when compared with those from young mice. These results support the concept that increased susceptibility to infections and poor adaptive immune responses in aging may be due to the decline in TLR expression and function.
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