New vistas on TLR9 activation

Hermann Wagner1

  • 1Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. h.wagner@lrz.tum.de

Together with other reports, evidence published in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology by Avalos and Ploegh (Eur. J. Immunol. 2011. 41: 2820-2827) implies that trafficking of TLR9 from the ER to endolysosomal compartments, which is aided by the transmembrane UNC93B1 ER protein, is followed by proteolytic cleavage of the TLR9 ectodomain (TLR9ecto). Furthermore, Avalos and Ploegh elegantly show that RAW 264.7 macrophages stably expressing tagged TLR9 display significant amounts of cleaved TLR9 already when at rest. It is of note that inhibitory oligonucleotides (IN-ODNs) do not affect TLR9 cleavage but competitively prevent CpG-ligand binding to the C-terminal TLR9 fragment. Compared with phosphorothioated (PS) CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), natural phosphorodiester (PD) CpG-ODNs differ in their TLR9 activation efficiency. In this Commentary, a model is proposed that accounts for the differences in PS- and PD-ODNs with respect to TLR binding and activation.

Related Concept Videos

tRNA Activation02:26

tRNA Activation

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are present in both eukaryotes and bacteria. Though eukaryotes have 20 different aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to couple to 20 amino acids, many bacteria do not have genes for all of these aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Despite this, they still use all 20 amino acids to synthesize their proteins. For instance, some bacteria do not have the gene encoding the enzyme that couples glutamine with its partner tRNA. In these organisms, one enzyme adds glutamic acid to all of the...
tRNA Activation02:26

tRNA Activation

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are present in both eukaryotes and bacteria. Though eukaryotes have 20 different aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to couple to 20 amino acids, many bacteria do not have genes for all of these aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Despite this, they still use all 20 amino acids to synthesize their proteins. For instance, some bacteria do not have the gene encoding the enzyme that couples glutamine with its partner tRNA. In these organisms, one enzyme adds glutamic acid to all of the...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
B Cell Activation and Differentiation01:24

B Cell Activation and Differentiation

The adaptive immune response, a sophisticated defense mechanism, relies on the activation and differentiation of B lymphocytes, or B cells. These processes enable our bodies to mount a tailored response against specific pathogens such as bacteria, free virus particles, toxins, and parasites.
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...
Activation of Integrins01:15

Activation of Integrins

Integrins bind ligands and transmit information from outside the cell to inside or vice-versa through an "outside-in signaling" or "inside-out signaling."
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding events provide an effective stimulus.
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases01:26

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases

Receptor tyrosine kinases or RTKs are membrane-bound receptors that phosphorylate specific tyrosine on protein substrates. RTKs regulate cellular growth, differentiation, survival, and migration. They contain an extracellular ligand binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytosolic tail with intrinsic kinase activity. Several extracellular signaling molecules activate RTKs in one or more ways and relay the signal downstream. Ligands such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or...