Human TLR2 blocking peptide

Toll-like receptors take an essential part in innate immunity in response to invasion of the various harmful pathogens. We aimed to investigate TLR2, 7 and 8 expression in rat testis and epididymis throughout postnatal development. In the prepubertal period, TLR2 and 7 were variably localized to peritubular myoid cells, interstitial cells, blood vessels, epithelial cells, ductal smooth muscle cells in testis and epididymis. In the pubertal period, immunostaining of TLR2 and 7 started to be seen in primary spermatocytes, as well as other cells, in the testis. Narrow cells showed strong intracytoplasmic staining in the epididymis. In the postpubertal period, moderate to strong immunostaining of TLR2 and TLR7 was seen in spermatids at different developmental steps but weak immunoreaction in pachytene spermatocytes. Other cells in testis and epididymis showed variable immunostaining of TLR2 and 7. However, weak to moderate immunoreaction to TLR8 was detected in only interstitial cells in testis. In the mature period, immunostaining of TLR2, 7 and 8 tended to increase in different types of cells in testis and epididymis. Our findings suggest that expression of TLR2, 7 and 8 changed dynamically during postnatal development and increased towards mature period. We consider that TLR2, 7 and 8 might be associated with the regulation of spermatogenesis and the maintenance of innate immunity of testis and epididymis during postnatal development.

Deep-sea mussels of the subfamily Bathymodiolinae are common and numerically dominant species widely distributed in cold seeps and hydrothermal vents. During long-time evolution, deep-sea mussels have evolved to be well adapted to the local environment of cold seeps and hydrothermal vents by various ways, especially by establishing endosymbiosis with chemotrophic bacteria. However, biological processes underlying the establishment and maintenance of symbiosis between host mussels and symbionts are largely unclear. In the present study,Gigantidas platifronsgenes possibly involved in the symbiosis with methane oxidation symbionts were identified and characterized by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pull-down andin situhybridization. Five immune related proteins including Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), integrin, vacuolar sorting protein (VSP), matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1), and leucine-rich repeat (LRR-1) were identified by LPS pull-down assay. These five proteins were all conserved in either molecular sequences or functional domains and known to be key molecules in host immune recognition, phagocytosis, and lysosome-mediated digestion. Furthermore,in situhybridization of LRR-1, TLR2 and VSP genes was conducted to investigate their expression patterns in gill tissues ofG. platifrons. Consequently, LRR-1, TLR2, and VSP genes were found expressed exclusively in the bacteriocytes ofG. platifrons. Therefore, it was suggested that TLR2, integrin, VSP, MMP1, and LRR-1 might be crucial molecules in the symbiosis betweenG. platifronsand methane oxidation bacteria by participating in symbiosis-related immune processes.