Extracellular Hsp72 an endogenous DAMP is released by virally infected airway epithelial cells and activates neutrophils via Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4

摘要

BackgroundNeutrophils play an important role in the pathophysiology of RSV, though RSV does not appear to directly activate neutrophils in the lower airways. Therefore locally produced cytokines or other molecules released by virally-infected airway epithelial cells are likely responsible for recruiting and activating neutrophils. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are generally regarded as intracellular proteins acting as molecular chaperones; however, HSP72 can also be released from cells, and the implications of this release are not fully understood.