Contribution of Toll‐like receptor signaling to germinal center antibody responses

AL DeFranco, DC Rookhuizen, B Hou - Immunological reviews, 2012 - Wiley Online Library
AL DeFranco, DC Rookhuizen, B Hou
Immunological reviews, 2012Wiley Online Library
Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) have emerged as one of the most important families of innate
immune receptors for initiating inflammation and also for promoting adaptive immune
responses. Recent studies have examined the ability of TLRs to promote antibody
responses, including T‐cell‐dependent antibody responses. Initial study suggested that TLR
stimulation promotes primarily an extrafollicular antibody response, which rapidly produces
moderate affinity antibodies made by short‐lived plasma cells. Recent studies, however …
Summary
Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) have emerged as one of the most important families of innate immune receptors for initiating inflammation and also for promoting adaptive immune responses. Recent studies have examined the ability of TLRs to promote antibody responses, including T‐cell‐dependent antibody responses. Initial study suggested that TLR stimulation promotes primarily an extrafollicular antibody response, which rapidly produces moderate affinity antibodies made by short‐lived plasma cells. Recent studies, however, have shown that TLRs can also enhance the germinal center response, which produces high affinity class‐switched antibody made by long‐lived plasma cells. TLR stimulation can increase the magnitude of the latter response and also enhance selection for high affinity IgG. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the roles of TLRs in B cells and also in other cell types for enhancement of antibody responses, with an emphasis on T‐cell‐dependent and germinal center antibody responses.
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