Molecular immunology
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Molecular immunology · May 2005
Functional characterization of full-length TLR3, IRAK-4, and TRAF6 in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
Recently, the zebrafish, Danio rerio, has been recognized as a useful model for infectious disease and immunity. The Toll-like receptor (TLR) family is an evolutionarily conserved component of the innate immune system that responds to specific pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) during an infection. This study reports the identification and characterization of a full-length orthologue of mammalian TLR3, and the key TLR pathway signaling molecules IRAK-4 and TRAF6 in the zebrafish. ⋯ Following exposure to SHRV, only zfTLR3 and zfTRAF6 mRNA transcripts were upregulated. Interestingly, exposure of fish to E. tarda resulted in an unexpected increase in mRNA expression of zfTLR3, as well as the anticipated upregulation of zfIRAK-4 and zfTRAF6 mRNA transcripts. These results demonstrate that zebrafish possess conserved TLR-signaling pathways, further emphasizing the utility of the zebrafish as a model for vertebrate immunology.