Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are involved in human monocyte activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) andStaphylococcus aureus Cowan (SAC), suggesting that gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria may trigger similar intracellular events. Treatment with specific kinase inhibitors prior to cell stimulation dramatically decreased LPS-induced cytokine production. Blocking of the p38 pathway prior to LPS stimulation decreased interleukin-1␣ (IL-1␣), IL-1ra, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-␣) production, whereas blocking of the ERK1/2 pathways inhibited IL-1␣, IL-1, and IL-1ra but not TNF-␣ production. When cells were stimulated by SAC, inhibition of the p38 pathway did not affect cytokine production, whereas only IL-1␣ production was decreased in the presence of ERK kinase inhibitor. We also demonstrated that although LPS and SAC have been shown to bind to CD14 before transmitting signals to TLR4 and TLR2, respectively, internalization of CD14 occurred only in monocytes triggered by LPS. Pretreatment of the cells with SB203580, U0126, or a mixture of both inhibitors did not affect internalization of CD14. Altogether, these results suggest that TLR2 signaling does not involve p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways, indicating that divergent pathways are triggered by gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, thereby inducing cytokine production.Invasive infection by gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in humans results in septic shock and death. The early cellular response to both groups of microorganisms is still unclear. Several investigators have proposed that lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria, as well as several components from gram-positive bacteria, trigger monocytic cytokine production following interaction with membrane-bound CD14 (mCD14) and activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs; the human homologues of Drosophila Toll) which are present on the cell membrane (23,30,43,61). Several lines of evidence suggest that after binding to mC14, LPS initiates intracellular signaling pathways activating a number of tyrosine kinases as an initial step. Various ␣ subunits of heterodimeric G proteins and Src kinases, physically associated with membrane-bound CD14 molecules in LPS-stimulated normal human monocytes, induce p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation, which is involved in cytokine synthesis (44). Other proteins that are phosphorylated upon LPS stimulation include p42 and p44 MAP kinases, which are encoded by the erk2 and erk1 genes, respectively (10, 25). However, the upstream events that occur during ERK1, ERK2, and p38 kinase phosphorylation remain unclear. There is some evidence that LPS activates Ras and consequently Raf, resulting in MEK-1 and MAP kinase phosphorylation, but the precise pathways are not fully understood (8). In addition to MEK and MAP kinase activation, Syk molecules are phosphorylated upon LPS stimulation of macrophages. However, several studies have indicated that neither Syk, Src family tyrosine kinases, Hck, Lyn, nor Fgr is indispe...