title: Elucidation of the MD-2/TLR4 interface required for signaling by lipid IVa.
abstract: LPS signals through a membrane bound-complex of the lipid binding protein MD-2 and the receptor TLR4. In this study we identify discrete regions in both MD-2 and TLR4 that are required for signaling by lipid IVa, an LPS derivative that is an agonist in horse but an antagonist in humans. We show that changes in the electrostatic surface potential of both MD-2 and TLR4 are required in order that lipid IVa can induce signaling. In MD-2, replacing horse residues 57-66 and 82-89 with the equivalent human residues confers a level of constitutive activity on horse MD-2, suggesting that conformational switching in this protein is likely to be important in ligand-induced activation of MD-2/TLR4. We identify leucine-rich repeat 14 in the C terminus of TLR4 as essential for lipid IVa activation of MD-2/TLR4. Remarkably, we identify a single residue in the glycan-free flank of the horse TLR4 solenoid that confers the ability to signal in response to lipid IVa. These results suggest a mechanism of signaling that involves crosslinking mediated by both MD-2-receptor and receptor-receptor contacts in a model that shows striking similarities to the recently published structure (Cell 130: 1071-1082) of the ligand-bound TLR1/2 ectodomain heterodimer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gangloff
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Monie
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Trevelyan J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maskell
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bryant
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D002460:Cell Line; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008050:Lipid A / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051218:Lymphocyte Antigen 96 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017354:Point Mutation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D013499:Surface Properties; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006017:Glycolipids; D008024:Ligands; D008050:Lipid A; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D051218:Lymphocyte Antigen 96; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; C040142:lipid A precursors, bacterial