TITLE: Tlx acts as a pro-angiogenic switch by regulating extracellular assembly of fibronectin matrices in retinal astrocytes
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Akiyoshi Uemura
RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan
Phone: 81-78-306-1924; Fax: 81-78-306-1895; E-mail: auemura@cdb.riken.jp
View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=25964
IMMUNOLOGY
TLR2 both triggers and tames the immune response
It is an established premise that invading pathogens release antigens that bind to Toll-like receptors (TLR ligands) on the surface of various cells of the immune system. This event stimulates specialized immune cells to release secreted proteins that activate other immune cells, such as T cells, to join the fight to destroy invading bacteria or fungi. The proliferation and activity of T cells is carefully controlled by a subset of cells known as regulatory T cells (Tregs). Treg depletion may allow an overzealous immune response to turn against the body's own tissues, resulting in autoimmune disorders such as arthritis and diabetes, while overactive Tregs can hinder the immune response against a foreign pathogen. In a study in mice appearing online on January 19 in advance of print publication in the February 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Gosse Adema and colleagues at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands, reveal that the type 2 TLR (TLR2) lies at the center of how Tregs know when to suppress and when not to suppress the immune response. The authors show that during infection of mice with the fungus Candida albicans, TLR2 ligands bind directly to TLR2 on Tregs and promote Treg proliferation. Interestingly, this binding also temporarily inhibits the suppressive activ
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Journal of Clinical Investigation
19-Jan-2006