Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2007 Impaired expression of Toll-like receptor 2 in nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease1 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dept of Medicine, Samsung Medical Centre, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, and 2 Dept of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University Dongdaemun Hospital, College of Medicine and Ewha Medical Research Institute, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 3 Y.J. Ryu and E.J. Kim contributed equally to the present study. CORRESPONDENCE: W-J. Koh, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Dept of Medicine, Samsung Medical Centre, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. Fax: 82 234106956. E-mail: wjkoh{at}skku.edu Keywords: Atypical mycobacteria, disease susceptibility, lung diseases, Toll-like receptor 2
Received: April 3, 2007
The aims of the present study were to investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 on the peripheral blood monocytes of patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease and healthy controls, and to assess the responses of these monocytes to TLR2 agonists such as Mycobacterium avium and lipoteichoic acid (LTA).
Reverse transcriptase–PCR was used to analyse TLR2 mRNA expression in peripheral blood monocytes from 17 NTM patients and 10 healthy controls. mRNA and protein secretion levels were also determined for the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 p40 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-
Expression of TLR2 mRNA by peripheral blood monocytes after stimulation with M. avium or LTA was lower in NTM patients than in healthy controls. IL-12 p40 and TNF-
The present results suggest that the downregulation of Toll-like receptor 2 and the resulting decreased production of interleukin-12 p40 and tumour necrosis factor-
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