New life sciences research from T. Shimizu and co-researchers described.(Report)

"Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen that causes nongonococcal chlamydia-negative urethritis, mucopurulent cervicitis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and tubal factor infertility in humans. However, pathogenic agents that induce inflammatory responses have not been identified in M. genitalium," scientists writing in the journal Infection and Immunity report (see also Life Sciences).

"In this study, we examined the involvement of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in activation of the immune response by a lipoprotein from M. genitalium and their active component responsible for NF-kappa B activation. The Triton X-114 detergent phase of M. genitalium was found to induce NF-kappa B through TLR2. The active component of the Triton X-114 detergent phase was a lipoprotein precursor, MG149. The activation of NF-kappa B by MG149 was inhibited by a dominant negative (DN) construct of TLR1 but not by a DN construct of TLR6. These results indicate that the activation of NF-kappa B by MG149 is dependent on TLR1 and TLR2. A synthetic lipopeptide derived from MG149 containing three acyl chains also induced ...