Investigation of the role of Toll-like receptor 7 and 8 in pathogen-induced infection

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are critical to the initiation of immune responses following detection of pathogens by mammalian cells. This PhD project was designed to investigate the biology and function of two TLRs specialised in the detection of foreign ribonucleic acid (RNA), known as TLR7 and TLR8. In this regard, novel roles for these receptors were characterised in the detection of bacterial and viral RNA. In addition, the modalities of inhibition of these receptors by endogenous 2’-O-methyl-modified RNA were defined. Collectively, these findings may help design new immune modulators with therapeutic applications in infectious and auto-inflammatory disorders.