An investigation into the role of TLR4 interactor with leucine rich repeats (TRIL) in Toll-like receptor responses in brain

Abstract

TLR4 interactor with leucine rich repeats (TRIL) was originally described as a protein required for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling. This thesis provides new insights into the function of TRIL within TLR signalling and uncovers the in vivo role of TRIL in bacterial and viral infection. Initial localisation studies demonstrated that TRIL is differentially localised in a cell type specific manner. It is expressed intracellularly within human astrocytoma U373 and human monocytic THP-1 cell lines, whilst in HEK-293T cells it is found on the plasma membrane. Further investigation revealed that intracellular TRIL colocalises with the early endosome and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), but not the mitochondria, or the Golgi structures. The endosomal localisation of TRIL can be further boosted by LPS stimulation.