Clin Exp Reprod Med.  2018 Dec;45(4):154-162. 10.5653/cerm.2018.45.4.154.

Sex hormones alter the response of Toll-like receptor 3 to its specific ligand in fallopian tube epithelial cells

• Zandieh Z
• Amjadi F
• Vakilian H
• Aflatoonian K
• Amirchaghmaghi E
• Fazeli A
• Aflatoonian R

• KMID: 2427410
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5653/cerm.2018.45.4.154

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The fallopian tubes play a critical role in the early events of fertilization. The rapid innate immune defense is an important part of the fallopian tubes. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), as a part of the innate immune system, plays an important role in detecting viral infections. In this basic and experimental study, the effect of sex hormones on the function of TLR3 in the OE-E6/E7 cell line was investigated.
METHODS
The functionality of TLR3 in this cell line was evaluated by cytokine measurements (interleukin [IL]-6 and IL-1b) and the effects of sex hormones on TLR3 were tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Additionally, TLR3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and a TLR3 function-blocking antibody were used to confirm our findings.
RESULTS
The production of IL-6 significantly increased in the presence of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) as the TLR3 ligand. Using a TLR3-siRNA-ransfected OE-E6/E7 cell line and function-blocking antibody confirmed that cytokine production was due to TLR3. In addition, 17-β estradiol and progesterone suppressed the production of IL-6 in the presence and absence of poly(I:C).
CONCLUSION
These results imply that sex hormones exerted a suppressive effect on the function of TLR3 in the fallopian tube cell line when different concentrations of sex hormones were present. The current results also suggest that estrogen receptor beta and nuclear progesterone receptor B are likely to mediate the hormonal regulation of TLR3, as these two receptors are the main estrogen and progesterone receptors in OE-E6/E7 cell line.

Keyword

Estrogen; Fallopian tube epithelial cells; Innate immunity; Progesterone; Toll-like receptor 3

MeSH Terms

Cell Line
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Epithelial Cells*
Estradiol
Estrogen Receptor beta
Estrogens
Fallopian Tubes*
Female
Fertilization
Gonadal Steroid Hormones*
Immune System
Immunity, Innate
Interleukin-6
Poly I-C
Progesterone
Receptors, Progesterone
RNA, Small Interfering
Toll-Like Receptor 3*
Toll-Like Receptors*
Estradiol
Estrogen Receptor beta
Estrogens
Gonadal Steroid Hormones
Interleukin-6
Poly I-C
Progesterone
RNA, Small Interfering
Receptors, Progesterone
Toll-Like Receptor 3
Toll-Like Receptors