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Decreased TLR2 signal expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cell from patients with cryptococcal meningitis
Author(s) -
Zhang Lei,
Liu Tingting,
Kong Wei,
Zhang Weiwei,
Gu Mingli,
Chen Yan,
Deng Anmei,
Chen Sunxiao
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/1348-0421.12264
Subject(s) - cryptococcus neoformans , tlr2 , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , biology , immunology , cytokine , receptor , meningitis , stimulation , cryptococcosis , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , innate immune system , immune system , endocrinology , in vitro , biochemistry , psychiatry
Toll‐like receptors are the most important pattern recognition receptors that can recognize conserved molecular structures shared by large groups of pathogens. Here, the aim was to determine the expression and role of TLR2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with cryptococcal meningitis and healthy controls. TLR2 expression was measured using RT‐PCR and western blotting. The role of TLR2 in cytokine production by PBMCs after Cryptococcus neoformans exposure was assessed in healthy controls prior to incubation with anti‐TLR2. TLR2 mRNA and protein expression were both weaker in patients with cryptococcal meningitis than in healthy controls. Furthermore, pre‐incubation of PBMCs from healthy donors with anti‐TLR2 led to reduced expression of IFN‐γ and IL‐12p70, but not of IL‐4 and IL‐10, following C. neoformans stimulation. Our results suggest that impaired expression of TLR2 may be involved in defective host defense to C. neoformans through an attenuated Th1 response.