Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on October 16, 2006
Human Reproduction 2007 22(2):356-361; doi:10.1093/humrep/del385
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Human oviductal epithelial cells express Toll-like receptor 3 and respond to double-stranded RNA: Fallopian tube-specific mucosal immunity against viral infection
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Idaigaoka 1-1, Hasama-machi, Yufu-shi, Oita 879-5593, Japan. E-mail: nasu{at}med.oita-u.ac.jp
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the site-specific immunoregulatory mechanisms against viral infection in human Fallopian tubes. METHODS: We therefore investigated the effects of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) on the production of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and granulocyte chemotactic protein-2 (GCP-2) by cultured oviductal epithelial cells (OECs) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Phosphorylation of inhibitor 
B-
(IB-) protein after dsRNA stimulation and the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 in these cells were also evaluated by western blot analysis. RESULTS: Polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid (poly I:C), a synthetic dsRNA that antagonizes TLR3, stimulated the secretion of IL-6, IL-8 and GCP-2 by OECs. Poly I:C-induced production of these cytokines by OECs was inhibited by the pretreatment of these cells with anti-TLR3 antibody. The phosphorylation of IB- protein was detected in OECs after stimulation by poly I:C. The expression of TLR3 was also detected in OECs. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the epithelial cells of the human Fallopian tube have evolved a unique, site-specific mechanism for recognizing viral infection. TLR3-mediated production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in OECs in response to viral dsRNA may be important for antiviral immunity in the human female reproductive tract.
Key words:
viral infection/Fallopian tube/double-stranded RNA/Toll-like receptor 3/nuclear factor-B
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