The role of lipid rafts in LPS-induced signaling in a macrophage cell line

The significance of lipid rafts in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling in macrophages was studied through isolation of them by gradient centrifugation and subsequent visualization of signal molecules using antibodies. LPS signaling is initiated by binding to Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and the co-receptor CD-14, leading to activation of downstream targets, such as MAP kinases. In this study, we show that LPS causes translocation of CD-14 and MAP kinases (ERK-2 and p38) to lipid rafts in the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. The adaptor proteins MyD88 and Gab-2, on the other hand, were not detected in the lipid raft fractions. These results indicate that lipid rafts play a role in LPS-induced signaling in macrophages.