Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

The common functional C(−159)T polymorphism within the promoter region of the lipopolysaccharide receptor CD14 is not associated with sepsis development or mortality

Abstract

Sepsis is characterised by a systemic inflammatory response to bacterial products during infection, which interestingly both in humans and animal models is gender associated with a higher susceptibility of males than females. The CD14 receptor is involved in activation of cells by lipopolysaccharides released from Gram-negative bacteria and, as recently shown, also by products of Gram-positive bacteria (eg, peptidoglycans and lipoteichoic acid). The functional relevance of a C(−159)T CD14 polymorphism recently has been shown based on correlation of the T allele to higher plasma levels of soluble CD14, and higher membrane expression on monocytes. We, therefore, now analysed this CD14 polymorphism in 204 patients with severe sepsis and 247 controls. No significant difference of allele frequencies was observed between sepsis patients and controls neither for males nor females. Mortality also was not associated with the polymorphism studied. This may suggest that other mechanisms for lipopolysaccharide recognition, such as the recently described Toll-like receptors are important for inflammatory cell activation in sepsis.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G Schmitz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hubacek, J., Stüber, F., Fröhlich, D. et al. The common functional C(−159)T polymorphism within the promoter region of the lipopolysaccharide receptor CD14 is not associated with sepsis development or mortality. Genes Immun 1, 405–407 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6363691

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6363691

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links