RECEPTOR PROTEIN SPECIFICALLY RECOGNIZING BACTERIAL DNA

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the receptor protein that specifically recognizes bacterial DNA bearing the non-methylated CpG sequence, the gene DNA coding the same and experimental model animals that are useful for examining the response of host immunocyte to bacterial infections. SOLUTION: The DNA encoding the receptor protein that specifically recognizes the bacterial DNA bearing the non-methylated CpG sequence is screened by the BLAST search, a plurality of EST clones having high similarity to various kinds of TLS are screened and they are used as probes to isolate the full-length cDNA from the mouse macrophage cDNA library, the base sequence of the cDNA is analyzed to confirm that the TLR9 has the conserved areas such as the areas of LRR, TIR and the like. Then, the knockout mouse is established and the TLR9 is confirmed to be a receptor protein of the nucleotide including the non-methylated CpG sequence of the bacterial DNA.