Contribution of Ninjurin1 to Toll-like receptor 4 signaling and systemic inflammation.

Nerve injury-induced protein (Ninjurin [Ninj]) 1 is an adhesion molecule originally identified in Schwann cells after nerve injury, whereas it is also expressed in leukocytes, epithelium, endothelium, and various organs, and is induced under inflammatory conditions. Its contribution to inflammation was so far restricted to the nervous system and exclusively attributed to its role during leukocyte migration. We hypothesized a proinflammatory role for Ninj1 also outside the nervous system.