title: [Expressions and significance of TLR2 and TLR4 in Kupffer cells of tree shrews chronically infected with hepatitis B virus].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mRNA expression levels of Toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 in Kupffer cells of tree shrews that were chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the effects of these receptors on the function of Kupffer cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  The tree shrews were divided into tree shrews proved with chronic HBV infection, tree shrews suspected with chronic HBV infection, and normal control tree shrews without hepatitis B vaccination. The samples of serum and liver biopsy were collected periodically, and the levels of HBV DNA in serum and liver tissues were detected by fluorescence-based quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Meanwhile, Kupffer cells were isolated from the biopsied liver tissues, and then purified and primarily cultured. Afterwards, qRT-PCR was applied to detect the mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR4 and TNF-α in the Kupffer cells. Cell migration assay and lysosome-specific fluorescent probe were adopted to analyze the effects of TLR2 and TLR4 on the migration capacity of Kupffer cells and the quantity of lysosomes in these cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mRNA expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 in tree shrews proved with chronic HBV infection were lower than those in the ones suspected with chronic HBV infection and normal controls without hepatitis B vaccination (P<0.05), and these expression levels were all negatively correlated with the level of HBV DNA in liver tissues of the animals (P<0.05), but were positively correlated with the number of migrated Kupffer cells, the density of lysosomes and the mRNA expression level of TNF-α (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TLR2 and TLR4 in Kupffer cells may play important roles in the chronic process of hepatic pathological changes in tree shrews infected with HBV through their influence on the function of Kupffer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Graduate College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021; Department of Pathology, Ruikang Hospital, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530011, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Jianjia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Chengpiao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Graduate College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Graduate College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Experiment, Guangxi Tumor Hospital, Nanning 530021, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000235:genetics*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics; D014418:Tupaiidae
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha