Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Honors Thesis

Major

Biology

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Sangman Kim

Abstract

Our innate immune system serves the important purpose of quickly recognizing microbial pathogens and providing the first line of defense against infection. Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) are one class of receptors responsible for enacting our bodies’ innate immune responses. Specifically, TLR10 is an extremely under-researched receptor. Some naturally occurring mutations in TLR10 have been linked with a worsening prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis, with previous research uncovering a mutant form of TLR10 that impairs innate immune system-controlled inflammatory responses. However, other research has found that wild-type forms of TLR10 also contribute to pro-inflammatory pathways in healthy cells. To better understand the wild-type form and the naturally occurring mutants, we wish to explore the impacts on cell localization and signaling in different forms of TLR10 in healthy cells. This was done by generating the mutant plasmid, followed by transfection of different forms into HEK cells. Flow cytometry revealed that the mutant forms do not localize to the cell surface at the same level as the wild-type. Similarly, they do not activate the NFkB signaling pathway to the same extent as the wild-type. This helps us to understand how mutations in TLR10 can affect different cell types and further study will elucidate more information.

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