Investigating TLR signaling responses in murine dendritic cells upon bacterial infection.

Innate immune recognition of microbial components is critical for the onset of an appropriate immune response against invading pathogens, in particular by dendritic cells. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key in the detection of a variety of microbial stimuli.Here we focus on the methodology used to evaluate the role of TLRs in the process of dendritic cell response to bacterial intracellular infections, using bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) as a model system. This protocol describes how to access the level of activation of BMDCs using standard immunology and biochemistry approaches along with examination of infected cells by immunofluorescence microscopy.