TLR9-deficiency reduces TLR1, TLR2 and TLR3 expressions in Leishmania major-infected macrophages

- We compare different TLRs expression in TLR2- or TLR9-deficient macrophages.
- TLR9-deficient macrophages had reduced TLR1, TLR2, TLR3 expressions.
- TLR2 did not affect expression of other TLRs.
- TLR9-deficiency reduced IL-6 and IL-12 p40 expression.
- TLR9-deficiency reduced CD40 expression in macrophages.

The parasite Leishmania major counteractively modulates TLR2 and TLR9 expression and their functions. Although TLR1, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7 are also implicated in Leishmania infection, whether their expression was altered in TLR2 or TLR9 deficiency remained unknown. Therefore, we examined TLR1, TLR3, TLR4 and TLR7 expression in L. major infection in TLR2-deficient or TLR9-deficient macrophages. We observed that TLR9-deficiency reduced TLR1, TLR2 and TLR3 but not TLR7 expression in the macrophages treated with live or killed L. major promastigotes. TLR2-deficiency had little effects by comparison. TLR9-deficient macrophages had reduced CD40 expression and less IL-12 and TNF-α expression. Thus, we report that TLR9 modulates TLR1, TLR2 and TLR3, but not TLR7, expression in L. major-infected macrophages.

Graphical Abstract