Through Toll-like Receptor 4 Expression Research Articles

Abstract 1055: The 70 kDa Heat Shock Cognate Protein Plays A Novel Role In Myocardial Chemokine Expression And Cardiac Dysfunction Following Ischemia And Reperfusion Injury

Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) causes the release of cellular proteins including heat shock proteins (HSPs). The inducible HSP70 induces cytokine production in monocytes and dendritic cells through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling. In evaluation of the role of HSPs in myocardial inflammatory response in a mouse heart global I/R model, we found that the 70 kDa heat shock cognate protein (HSC70), but not HSP70, was released into the extracellular space and the coronary effluent during I/R. These observations prompted us to hypothesize that HSC70 plays a novel role in postischemic myocardial inflammatory response and cardiac dysfunction. Methods: We subjected mouse hearts to global I/R (20 min/60 min) or perfusion using the Langendorff method. We examined: the effect of HSC70 antibody on myocardial chemokine expression and cardiac functional recovery following I/R, the effect of recombinant HSC70 on myocardial chemokine expression and cardiac function and the role of TLR4 and the HSC70 substrate-binding domain in the effect of HSC70 on the heart. Results: In comparison with non-immune IgG, anti-HSC70 reduced myocardial expression of KC and MCP-1 mRNAs and proteins following I/R. Moreover, treatment with anti-HSC70 improved postischemic cardiac functional recovery (66±5.4% of baseline vs. 28±5.1% of baseline in hearts treated with non-immune IgG, p<0.01). Recombinant HSC70 induced myocardial expression of KC and MCP-1 mRNAs and proteins and caused cardiac dysfunction (72±2.6% of baseline vs. 98±3.9% of baseline in perfusion controls, p<0.001) in hearts with competent TLR4 (C3H/HeN). Interestingly, these effects of HSC70 were abrogated in hearts with defective TLR4 (C3H/HeJ). The potency of HSC70 was completely lost in the absence of its substrate-binding domain. Conclusions: Taken together, our studies demonstrate, for the first time, that HSC70 plays an important role in the induction of myocardial chemokines and cardiac dysfunction during I/R. The effect of HSC70 is dependent on TLR4 and requires the presence of the substrate-binding domain. The results suggest that the release of HSC70 into the extracellular space elicits an inflammatory response and causes mechanic dysfunction in the heart.

Toll like receptor-4 expression in lipopolysaccharide induced lung inflammation.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) initiate immune response through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Because many a times host is confronted with secondary bacterial challenges, it is critical to understand TLR4 expression following initial provocation. We studied TLR4 expression in rats at various times after intra-tracheal instillation of LPS. Although TLR4 mRNA was undetectable in normal lungs, it increased at 6h and 12h and declined at 36h post-LPS treatment. Western blots showed TLR4 protein at all time points. Immunohistochemistry localized TLR4 in alveolar septal cells, bronchial epithelium, macrophages and endothelium of large and peribronchial blood vessels. Dual label immunoelectron microscopy showed co-localization of TLR4 and LPS in the cytoplasm and nucleus of various lung and inflammatory cells. Nuclear localization of TLR4 was confirmed with Western blots on lung nuclear extracts. We conclude that TLR4 expression in lung is sustained up to 36 hours and that TLR4 and LPS are localized in the cytoplasm and nuclei of lung cells.

Caspase-dependent and -independent apoptosis of mast cells induced by withdrawal of IL-3 is prevented by Toll-like receptor 4-mediated lipopolysaccharide stimulation.

IL-3-dependent mucosal-like mast cells undergo apoptosis upon withdrawal of IL-3. Generally, the apoptosis is mediated by the activation of caspases and inhibited by addition of the pan-caspase inhibitors z-VAD-FMK or BOC-D-FMK. However, DNA fragmentation, a typical characteristic of apoptosis, is not inhibited by z-VAD-FMK or BOC-D-FMK in mast cell apoptosis. In this study, we demonstrate that the apoptosis of mast cells is mediated by both caspase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The caspase-independent apoptosis is mediated by the translocation of endonuclease G from mitochondria into nuclei. Withdrawal of IL-3 caused down-regulation of Bcl-xL, resulting in a drop in mitochondrial membrane transition potential followed by the release of cytochrome c and endonuclease G from mitochondria. However, stimulation of mast cells through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) by lipopolysaccharide prevented mast cell apoptosis by inducing expression of Bcl-xL. Moreover, the activation of mast cells by LPS is enhanced in the presence of IFN-gamma, which up-regulates the expression of cell surface TLR4. Taken together, these observations provide evidence that mast cells play important roles not only in allergic reactions but also in innate immunity recognizing enterobacteria through TLR4, and are regulated differently from allergic inflammation by Th1 cytokines.

Hypoxia diminishes toll-like receptor 4 expression through reactive oxygen species generated by mitochondria in endothelial cells.

Hypoxia and inflammation often occur simultaneously due to prevention of adequate gas exchange. Understanding the influence of hypoxia on the inflammatory response is important because hypoxia directly regulates expression of many genes, including those regulating inflammation, and plays a role in modulating the resolution of an inflammatory response. LPS is a major mediator of cellular injury and inflammation that induces its effects through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hypoxia on TLR4 expression. Hypoxia decreased TLR4 expression on cultured endothelial cells. Furthermore, LPS-induced ICAM-1 up-regulation was decreased by hypoxia. Because reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from mitochondria are one of the signaling molecules induced by hypoxia, the role of ROS in hypoxia-induced TLR4 down-regulation was evaluated. Our data showed that hypoxia increased ROS generation and that hypoxia-induced TLR4 down-regulation was inhibited by myxothiazol, a mitochondrial site III electron transport inhibitor. Hypoxia also inhibited AP-1 translocation. Since the TLR4 promoter has a binding site for AP-1, hypoxia-induced TLR4 down-regulation may be due to an ROS-mediated decrease in AP-1-binding activity. We conclude that hypoxia decreases TLR4 expression in endothelial cells and that this change is mediated by mitochondrial ROS leading to attenuation of AP-1 transcriptional activity.

Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide Activates NF-κB through Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR-4) in Cultured Human Dermal Endothelial Cells: DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF TLR-4 AND TLR-2 IN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS

A missense mutation in the cytoplasmic domain of the Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) has been identified as the defect responsible for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) hyporesponsiveness in C3H/HeJ mice. TLR-4 and TLR-2 have recently been implicated in LPS signaling in studies where these receptors were overexpressed in LPS non-responsive 293 human embryonic kidney cells. However, the signaling role of TLR-4 or TLR-2 in human cells with natural LPS response remains largely undefined. Here we show that human dermal microvessel endothelial cells (HMEC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells express predominantly TLR-4 but very weak TLR-2 and respond vigorously to LPS but not to Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19-kDa lipoprotein. Transient transfection of non-signaling mutant forms of TLR-4 and anti-TLR-4 monoclonal antibody inhibited LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation in HMEC, while a monoclonal antibody against TLR-2 was ineffective. In contrast to LPS responsiveness, the ability of HMEC to respond to 19-kDa lipoprotein correlated with the expression of TLR-2. Transfection of TLR-2 into HMEC conferred responsiveness to 19-kDa lipoprotein. These data indicate that TLR-4 is the LPS signaling receptor in HMEC and that human endothelial cells (EC) express predominantly TLR-4 and weak TLR-2, which may explain why they do not respond to 19-kDa lipoprotein. The differential expression of TLRs on human EC may have important implications in the participation of vascular EC in innate immune defense mechanisms against various infectious pathogens, which may use different TLRs to signal.