Toll-like receptor 5 as a novel receptor for fungal zymosan

Microbial pathogens carry specific structural patterns which were termed pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as key elements for the recognition of microbial pathogens are necessary for the activation of innate immune pathways. TLRs are activated by binding PAMPs of bacteria, viruses and fungi and initiate a signaling pathway resulting in the activation of transcription factors which modulate the production of various proinflammatory cytokines. It is not fully clear in detail which microbial pattern is recognized by which TLR. Here we show for the first time that TLR5 is a strong receptor for the yeast particle zymosan. We have generated stable human cell lines with combinations of TLR2 and TLR5 knock in/knock out together with stable nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) luciferase reporters. We found that both receptors TLR5 and TLR2 lead to an independent activation of the NF-κB pathway when simulated with zymosan. Our results demonstrate that TLR5 is a receptor for the fungal particle zymosan in addition to bacterial fragments like flagellin. Distinct cytokine patterns might suggest that TLR5 is potentially important for the differentiation in the recognition of the specific type of the foreign microorganisms and in the specific host defense response.