Cutting Edge: Role of Toll-Like Receptor 9 in CpG DNA-Induced Activation of Human Cells

作者：Fumihiko Takeshita, Cynthia Anne Leifer, İhsan Gürsel, Ken J. Ishii, Saoko Takeshita, Mayda Gürsel, Dennis M. Klinman · 发表于：The Journal of Immunology · 年份：2001 · DOI：10.4049/jimmunol.167.7.3555 · 被引用次数：571 · 研究领域：Immune Response and Inflammation、Immunotherapy and Immune Responses、T-cell and B-cell Immunology

Unmethylated CpG motifs present in bacterial DNA stimulate a rapid and robust innate immune response. Human cell lines and PBMC that recognize CpG DNA express membrane-bound human Toll-like receptor 9 (hTLR9). Cells that are not responsive to CpG DNA become responsive when transfected with hTLR9. Expression of hTLR9 dramatically increases uptake of CpG (but not control) DNA into endocytic vesicles. Upon cell stimulation, hTLR9 and CpG DNA are found in the same endocytic vesicles. Cells expressing hTLR9 are stimulated by CpG motifs that are active in primates but not rodents, suggesting that evolutionary divergence between TLR9 molecules underlies species-specific differences in the recognition of bacterial DNA. These findings indicate that hTLR9 plays a critical role in the CpG DNA-mediated activation of human cells.