IMR Press / FBE / Volume 1 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.2741/E58

Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article
Toll-like receptors, innate immunity and lung transplantation
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1 Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Box 103002, Durham, NC 27710, USA
2 Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3876, Durham, NC 27710, USA
Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed) 2009, 1(2), 600–604; https://doi.org/10.2741/E58
Published: 1 June 2009
Abstract

Lung transplant allografts have the highest rate of rejection and shortest graft survival time among the commonly transplanted solid organs despite high levels of immunosuppression. This observation strongly indicates that mechanisms unique to the lung allograft contribute to rejection post lung transplant. Unlike most other solid organ recipients, the lung allograft is exposed to both the external environment and a significant amount of donor-derived lymphatic and structural tissue. For these reasons, the recipient's innate immune system may be critically involved in the initiation and maintenance of rejection after lung transplant. The strongest evidence for innate immune activation participating in lung allograft rejection is based upon genetic studies which demonstrate that variation in toll-like receptors and the related molecule CD14 modulate posttransplant lung allograft rejection. However, secreted pathogen recognition receptors, including defensins and collectins, and complement are parts of the innate pulmonary host defense and may be important in lung transplant rejection. This report will review the current understanding of innate immunity in lung allograft rejection in both murine and human studies.

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