Webb R N, Cruse J M, Lewis R E
Immunopathology Section, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.
Exp Mol Pathol. 2009 Oct;87(2):117-26. doi: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2009.07.007. Epub 2009 Jul 23.
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is one member of a class of pattern recognition receptors that play a significant role in the physiologic innate immune response. As leukemia is a disease state that may be associated with a compromised immune system, it was hypothesized that depressed TLR4 function resulting from decreased gene expression might be related to the development and further sustained presence of a leukemic clone of cells. This study thus analyzed gene expression of TLR4 in groups of lymphocytic leukemia cases, myeloid leukemia cases, cases of myeloid leukemia in remission, and normal controls by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). It was observed that TLR4 gene expression was indeed decreased to a statistically significant degree (P<0.05) in both the lymphocytic leukemic subset and myeloid leukemic subset when compared to normal controls. Thus, further study is warranted into determining whether this decreased TLR4 expression contributes to the pathogenesis of leukemic clone development through an associated depressed immune surveillance as well as whether TLR4 agonists might serve to effectively strengthen the response of the immune system in battling leukemic burden.
Toll样受体4（TLR4）是一类模式识别受体中的一员，在生理性固有免疫反应中发挥重要作用。由于白血病是一种可能与免疫系统受损相关的疾病状态，因此有人推测，基因表达降低导致的TLR4功能降低可能与白血病细胞克隆的发生发展及持续存在有关。本研究因此通过实时定量逆转录聚合酶链反应（qRT-PCR）分析了淋巴细胞白血病病例组、髓细胞白血病病例组、缓解期髓细胞白血病病例组及正常对照组中TLR4的基因表达。结果观察到，与正常对照组相比，淋巴细胞白血病亚组和髓细胞白血病亚组中的TLR4基因表达确实均有统计学意义的降低（P<0.05）。因此，有必要进一步研究确定这种TLR4表达降低是否通过相关的免疫监视抑制而促成白血病细胞克隆发展的发病机制，以及TLR4激动剂是否可能有效增强免疫系统对抗白血病负荷的反应。
