0 5 5Recognition of pathogen-associated molecules in microbes by TLRs leads to activation of transcription factors such as NF-κB that promote increased transcription of proinflammatory cytokines and interferons 1 . All mammalian TLRs, with the exception of TLR3, use the adaptor MyD88 as the receptor-proximal signaling molecule to trigger downstream activation of NF-κB 2 . The association of MyD88 with TLRs facilitates recruitment of members of the IRAK family of kinases that in turn activate the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF6 (refs. 3-5). The formation of polyubiquitin chains by TRAF6 serves to bring TAK1 into close proximity with its substrates, including IκB kinases (IKKs). The TAK1-induced phosphorylation and activation of IKKα and IKKβ promotes IKK-induced phosphorylation of IκB proteins 6 that normally sequester NF-κB in an inactive form in the cytoplasm. Phosphorylated forms of IκB are subject to polyubiquitination and subsequently proteasome-dependent degradation, thus liberating NF-κB to translocate to the nucleus and transcriptionally upregulate the expression of a plethora of genes 7 . Most TLRs use this MyD88-dependent pathway to activate NF-κB, but TLR4 can additionally deploy another adaptor protein, TRIF, to trigger a MyD88-independent pathway that also activates NF-κB 8 . Among TLRs, TLR3 uses TRIF as its exclusive receptor-proximal adaptor protein. TRIF interacts with RIP1 kinase to trigger downstream IKK-mediated activation of NF-κB 9,10 . TRAF6 has been reported to associate with TRIF and mediate activation of NF-κB 11-13 , but other studies had concluded that TRAF6 is dispensable for TLR3 signaling 14,15 . Such discrepancies in relation to the role of TRAF6 in TRIF signaling may be due to cell-specific roles for TRAF6 and/or functional redundancy of TRAF6 with other members of the TRAF family 11 . In addition to activation of NF-κB, TRIF can also trigger activation of interferon-regulatory factor (IRF) transcription factors. Thus, TRIF forms a complex with the kinases TBK1 and IKKi (also known as IKKε) and both kinases can catalyze phosphorylation and activation of IRF3 and IRF7, leading to their nuclear translocation and induction of type I interferons 1,16 . The latter are key antiviral molecules that block viral replication 17,18 .It is clear from the above that ubiquitination is important in TLR signal transduction. Additionally, there is an emerging appreciation of the roles of the E3 ubiquitin ligase family of Pellino proteins in TLR signaling. The mammalian Pellino family consists of four members: Pellino1, Pellino2 and splice variants of Pellino3 termed Pellino3 long (Pellino3L; also known as Pellino3a) and Pellino3 short (Pellino3S; also known as Pellino3b) 19,20 . Each Pellino family member contains an N-terminal forkhead-associated (FHA) domain that recognizes phosphothreonine residues and mediates association with IRAKs 21 , and a C-terminal RING-like domain that confers E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and an ability to catalyze lysine 63 (Lys63)-linked polyubiquitination of IRAKs [22][23]...

The pathogenesis and complications of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are closely linked with defective glucose metabolism, obesity, cardiovascular disease and an inability to mount an effective immune response to certain pathogenic organisms. Perturbations in key innate immune receptors known as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and inflammatory mediators such as IL-6, TNFα and IL-1β have been linked with T2DM. Herein, we sought to establish whether patients with T2DM and underlying complications exhibit perturbations in cytokine and TLR expression. Serum cytokine and mRNA levels of cytokines/TLRs in monocytes (M) and neutrophils (N) were measured in a cohort of 112 diabetic patients: good glycaemic control without complications (GC), good glycaemic control with complications (GCC), poor glycaemic control without complications (PC) and poor glycaemic control with complications (PCC) and compared them with 34 non-diabetic volunteers (NGT). Serum cytokine levels were normal in all study participants. In the GC group, cytokine and TLR gene expression were enhanced compared to NGT. In contrast, suppressed cytokine and TLR gene expression were evident in PC, GCC & PCC groups when compared to the GC. In conclusion, whereas serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are unaltered in T2DM patients, differences in inflammatory gene profiles exist among the T2DM patient groups.

Toll-like receptors are a group of pattern-recognition receptors that play a crucial role in “danger” recognition and induction of the innate immune response against bacterial and viral infections. TLR3 has emerged as a key sensor of viral dsRNA, resulting in the induction of the anti-viral molecule, IFN-β. Thus, a clearer understanding of the biological processes that modulate TLR3 signaling is essential. Previous studies have shown that the TLR adaptor, Mal/TIRAP, an activator of TLR4, inhibits TLR3-mediated IFN-β induction through a mechanism involving IRF7. In this study, we sought to investigate whether the TLR adaptor, MyD88, an activator of all TLRs except TLR3, has the ability to modulate TLR3 signaling. Although MyD88 does not significantly affect TLR3 ligand-induced TNF-α induction, MyD88 negatively regulates TLR3-, but not TLR4-, mediated IFN-β and RANTES production; this process is mechanistically distinct from that employed by Mal/TIRAP. We show that MyD88 inhibits IKKε-, but not TBK1-, induced activation of IRF3. In doing so, MyD88 curtails TLR3 ligand-induced IFN-β induction. The present study shows that while MyD88 activates all TLRs except TLR3, MyD88 also functions as a negative regulator of TLR3. Thus, MyD88 is essential in restricting TLR3 signaling, thereby protecting the host from unwanted immunopathologies associated with the excessive production of IFN-β. Our study offers a new role for MyD88 in restricting TLR3 signaling through a hitherto unknown mechanism whereby MyD88 specifically impairs IKKε-mediated induction of IRF3 and concomitant IFN-β and RANTES production.