Toll-like receptor 2 mediated dendritic cell activation: Key target for lipopeptide vaccines design

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) which recognise pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are a vital link between the innate and adaptive (or learned) immunity. TLRmediated activation of dendritic cells (DCs) is a crucial step in triggering adaptive immunity as DCs are the principal initiator and modulator of the immune response. With the advent of well-defined synthetic lipid moieties that structurally represent PAMPs, it is now possible to design synthetic vaccines containing disease-specific epitopes. This review provides a brief overview of why DCs represent a crucial target and tool for vaccination and TLR mediated DC activation efficiently stimulates immune responses. Particular emphasis is given to our recent understanding of the lipid component of various lipidated peptides (lipopeptides) targeting TLR2 mediated DC activation