title: Does Toll-like receptor 3 play a biological role in virus infections?
abstract: The Toll-like receptor (TLR) family functions to recognize conserved microbial and viral structures with the purpose of activating signal pathways to instigate immune responses against infections by these organisms. For example, in vitro studies reveal that the TLR3 ligand is a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a product of viral infections. From this observation, it has been proposed that TLR3 is likely an important first signal for virus infections. We approached this issue by investigating the role of TLR3 in four different infectious viral models (lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), and reovirus) and in TLR3 genetically deficient ((-/-)) mice. Our results indicate that TLR3 is not universally required for the generation of effective antiviral responses because the absence of TLR3 does not alter either viral pathogenesis or impair host's generation of adaptive antiviral responses to these viruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Kurt H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Edelmann
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Richardson-Burns
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alexopoulou
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Flavell
authors.forename: Michael B A
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Oldstone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D030102:Orthoreovirus, Mammalian / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051196:Toll-Like Receptor 3; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D051196:Toll-Like Receptor 3; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors