Expression of Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and CD14 in Biopsy Samples of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Upregulated Expression of TLR2 in Terminal Ileum of Patients With Ulcerative Colitis

Lenka Frolova ¹, Pavel Drastich ¹, Pavel Rossmann ¹, Klara Klimesova ¹ and Helena Tlaskalova-Hogenova ^1*

¹ Department of Immunology and Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic (LF,PR,KK,HT-H), and Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic (PD)

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tlaskalo{at}biomed.cas.cz .

Submitted on July 4, 2007
Accepted on 8 November 2007

	Abstract

Dysregulation of innate and adaptive intestinal immune responses to bacterial microbiota is supposed to be involved in pathogenetic mechanisms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). We investigated the expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4 and their transmembrane coreceptor CD14 in biopsy samples from patients with IBD and in non-inflamed gut mucosa from controls. Small intestine and colon samples were obtained by colonoscopy from patients with Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and controls. Immunohistochemical analysis of cryostat sections using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies specific for TLR2, TLR4 and CD14 showed a significant increase in TLR2 expression in the terminal ileum of patients with inactive and active UC against controls. Significant upregulation of TLR4 expression relative to controls was found in the terminal ileum and rectum of UC patients in remission and in the terminal ileum of CD patients with active disease. CD14 expression was upregulated in the terminal ileum of CD patients in remission and with active disease, in the caecum of UC patients in remission and with active disease and in rectum of UC patients with active disease. Hence, dysregulation of TLR2, TLR4 and CD14 expression in different parts of intestinal mucosa might be crucial in IBD pathogenesis.

Key Words: Toll-like receptors, gut mucosa, intestinal inflammation, CD14, gut, Crohn’s disease, mucosal immunity

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