Role of specific innate immune responses in herpes simplex virus infection of the central nervous system.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes a spectrum of disease, including herpes labialis, herpes keratitis, and herpes encephalitis, which can be lethal. Viral recognition by pattern recognition receptors plays a central role in cytokine production and in the generation of antiviral immunity. The relative contributions of different Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the innate immune response during central nervous system infection with HSV-1 have not been fully characterized.

Respiratory syncytial virus activates innate immunity through Toll-like receptor 2.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of infection that is associated with a range of respiratory illnesses, from common cold-like symptoms to serious lower respiratory tract illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis. RSV is the single most important cause of serious lower respiratory tract illness in children <1 year of age. Host innate and acquired immune responses activated following RSV infection have been suspected to contribute to RSV disease.

Toll-like receptor-mediated activation of neutrophils by influenza A virus.

Influenza virus infection of the respiratory tract is characterized by a neutrophil infiltrate accompanied by inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production. We and others have reported that Toll-like receptor (TLR) proteins are present on human neutrophils and that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) treatment enhances IL-8 (CXCL8) secretion in response to stimulation with TLR ligands. We demonstrate that influenza virus can induce IL-8 and other inflammatory cytokines from GM-CSF-primed human neutrophils.

Use of murine embryonic fibroblasts to define Toll-like receptor activation and specificity.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are critically involved in the innate immune response to bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. We have studied human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and a panel of human cell lines, including HEK, HeLa, AGS, ECV304 and U373 cells, for expression of TLR-specific mRNAs and for TLR-ligand dependent cytokine secretion. Peripheral blood cells expressed multiple TLRs; however, many studies have shown that blood contains multiple, heterogeneous cell populations with distinct patterns of TLR expression.