Tollip Regulates Proinflammatory Responses to Interleukin-1 and Lipopolysaccharide

Abstract

Activation of interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor (IL-1R), Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), and TLR4 triggers NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent signaling, thereby initiating immune responses. Tollip has been implicated as a negative regulator of NF-κB signaling triggered by these receptors in in vitro studies. Here, deficient mice were used to determine the physiological contribution of Tollip to immunity. NF-κB, as well as MAPK, signaling appeared normal in Tollip-deficient cells stimulated with IL-1β or the TLR4 ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Similarly, IL-1β- and TLR-driven activation of dendritic cells and lymphocytes was indistinguishable from wild-type cells. In contrast, the production of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha was significantly reduced after IL-1β and LPS treatment at low doses but not at lethal doses of LPS. Tollip therefore controls the magnitude of inflammatory cytokine production in response to IL-1β and LPS.

We thank Fabio Martinon and Etienne Meylan for critical reading of the manuscript and Percy Sumariwalla for help with statistical analysis. We also thank all of the members of the Tschopp laboratory.

This study was supported by grants of the Swiss National Science Foundation, CTI, and Roche Foundation to J.T.