Species-Specific Recognition of Single-Stranded RNA via Toll-like Receptor 7 and 8

✍ Scribed by Heil, F.

• Book ID: 121344046
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 575 KB
• Volume: 303
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0036-8075
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1093620

✦ Synopsis

Double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) serves as a danger signal associated with viral infection and leads to stimulation of innate immune cells. In contrast, the immunostimulatory potential of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) is poorly understood and innate immune receptors for ssRNA are unknown. We report that guanosine (G)- and uridine (U)-rich ssRNA oligonucleotides derived from human immunodeficiency virus–1 (HIV-1) stimulate dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages to secrete interferon-α and proinflammatory, as well as regulatory, cytokines. By using Toll-like receptor (TLR)–deficient mice and genetic complementation, we show that murine TLR7 and human TLR8 mediate species-specific recognition of GU-rich ssRNA. These data suggest that ssRNA represents a physiological ligand for TLR7 and TLR8.