[HTML][HTML] mRNA is an endogenous ligand for Toll-like receptor 3

K Karikó, H Ni, J Capodici, M Lamphier… - Journal of Biological …, 2004 - ASBMB
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the basic signaling receptors of the innate immune system.
They are activated by molecules associated with pathogens or injured host cells and tissue.
TLR3 has been shown to respond to double stranded (ds) RNA, a replication intermediary
for many viruses. Here we present evidence that heterologous RNA released from or
associated with necrotic cells or generated by in vitro transcription also stimulates TLR3 and
induces immune activation. To assess RNA-mediated TLR3 activation, human embryonic …