Toll-like receptor 2 in host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: to be or not to be-that is the question.

Toll-like receptor 2 in host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: to be or not to be-that is the question. Curr Opin Immunol. 2016 Jun 18;42:76-82 Authors: Gopalakrishnan A, Salgame P Abstract Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 is expressed on immune cells and respiratory epithelial cells lining the lung. TLR2 is not critical for protection during acute Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection but it has a significant multi-faceted role in containing chronic infection. This review highlights the contribution of TLR2 to host protection, immune evasion by Mtb and immune regulation during chronic Mtb infection. The TLR2-triggered pro-inflammatory cytokines initiate protective mechanisms and limit Mtb replication while the immune evasion pathways counterattack anti-bacterial effector mechanisms. The immune regulation pathways that are activated dampen TLR2 signaling. The combinatorial effect of these functional responses is persistence of Mtb with minimal immunopathology. PMID: 27326654 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Immunol Source Type: research