Expression of Toll-like Receptor-2 on the Peripheral Blood Monocytes in Kawasaki Disease Patients

Hwang, Dae Hwan; Han, Jung Woo; Choi, Kyung Min; Shin, Kyung Mi; Kim, Dong Soo

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Toll like receptor(TLR) is known to be involved in innate immunity. Many microbial antigens stimulate TLR, and as a result of intracellular signal transduction, they activate nuclear factor-kB which produces diverse inflammtory cytokines. Until now, many research topics in Kawasaki disease focused on cytokine increasement. In this study, we aim to reveal TLR increasement which might be associated with initiation of inflammatory response.
METHODS
We obtained the peripheral blood of ten patients who were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in Yonsei University College of Medicine from March 2003 to August 2003, as well as those of a febrile control group and the same number of a normal control group. Flow cytometry was done in all samples for quantification of TLR-2 expression in CD14 positive monocyte. And we also extracted total RNA of periphral monocyte and quantificated expression of TLR-2 mRNA by RT- PCR.
RESULTS
The expression of TLR-2 in Kawasaki disease increased significantly compared with the normal control group but not when compared with the febrile control group. And the expression decreased slightly in the subacute phase of Kawasaki disease compared with the acute phase, but this was statistically insignificant. mRNA expression of TLR-2 in peripheral blood monocyte also increased in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease.
CONCLUSION
Expression of TLR-2 in Kawasaki disease increased when compared with the normal control group, which means that innate immunity is associated with the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease.