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GeneE
50 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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TLR2
toll like receptor 2
Chromosome 4 · 4q31.3
NCBI Gene: 7097Ensembl: ENSG00000137462.11HGNC: HGNC:11848UniProt: A0A0S2Z4S4
1,622PubMed Papers
20Diseases
2Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub GeneReceptor
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly Studied
CLINICAL
Clinical Trials
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
defense response to viruslipopolysaccharide bindingGolgi apparatuscellular response to type II interferontuberculosisinborn error of immunityleprosyneurodegenerative disease
✦AI Summary

TLR2 is a pattern recognition receptor that cooperates with coreceptors (LY96, TLR1, or TLR6) to detect bacterial lipoproteins and microbial cell wall components, initiating innate immune responses 12. Upon ligand binding, TLR2 signals through MYD88 and TRAF6 to activate NF-κB, triggering cytokine secretion and inflammatory responses 34. The receptor recognizes diverse pathogenic molecules including M. tuberculosis lipoproteins and heat shock proteins, with ligand-specific clustering at the cell surface before trafficking to the Golgi apparatus 56. TLR2 activation occurs in response to Leptospira, contributing to vaccine-induced immunity 7. Disease associations include atopic dermatitis, where TLR2 polymorphisms (rs5743708, rs4696480) correlate with reduced disease risk 8, and bacterial meningitis, where TLR2 variants associate with protection against coexisting infections 9. Conversely, elevated TLR2 expression in gliomas promotes tumor progression through enhanced autophagy 10. TLR2 also regulates hair follicle regeneration by antagonizing BMP signaling in stem cells 11. These diverse functions establish TLR2 as a critical immune sensor with complex roles in infection, inflammation, and tissue homeostasis.

Sources cited
1
TLR2 cooperates with TLR1 or TLR6 to mediate innate immune response to bacterial lipoproteins and lipopeptides
PMID: 17889651
2
TLR2 cooperates with TLR1 or TLR6 for recognition of bacterial lipopeptides
PMID: 21078852
3
TLR2 signals via MYD88 and TRAF6 leading to NF-κB activation and cytokine secretion
PMID: 10426995
4
TLR2 promotes inflammatory response and may activate apoptosis in response to lipoproteins
PMID: 10426996
5
TLR2 forms activation clusters with coreceptors in a lipid-raft dependent pathway and traffics to Golgi
PMID: 16880211
6
M. tuberculosis PstS1 induces MAPK activation via TLR2 in monocytes
PMID: 16622205
7
TLR2 is involved in recognition of inactivated Leptospira strains used in vaccines
PMID: 35386703
8
TLR2 gene polymorphisms rs5743708 and rs4696480 associate with reduced atopic dermatitis risk
PMID: 36237117
9
TLR2 rs111200466 variant associates with protection against coexisting infections in bacterial meningitis
PMID: 41898794
10
TLR2 overexpression promotes glioma progression through enhanced autophagy
PMID: 30898699
11
TLR2 in hair follicle stem cells maintains homeostasis by antagonizing BMP signaling and is decreased in aging
PMID: 38483447
Disease Associationsⓘ20
tuberculosisOpen Targets
0.47Moderate
inborn error of immunityOpen Targets
0.37Weak
leprosyOpen Targets
0.25Weak
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.23Weak
attenuated familial adenomatous polyposisOpen Targets
0.18Weak
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.18Weak
COVID-19–associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adultsOpen Targets
0.15Weak
infectionOpen Targets
0.12Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
myelodysplastic syndromeOpen Targets
0.12Weak
chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseOpen Targets
0.12Weak
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.11Weak
COVID-19Open Targets
0.11Weak
Parkinson diseaseOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets2
TOMARALIMABPhase II
Toll-like receptor 2 antagonist
myelodysplastic syndrome
VB-201Phase II
Monocyte differentiation antigen CD14 inhibitor
arteriosclerosis
Related Genes
EGFRProtein interaction100%HSPA1BProtein interaction100%TOLLIPProtein interaction100%FN1Protein interaction100%SCARB2Protein interaction100%IL6Protein interaction99%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Bone Marrow
76%
Liver
14%
Brain
11%
Ovary
6%
Heart
4%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TLR2EGFRHSPA1BTOLLIPFN1SCARB2IL6
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2Z80 · 1.80 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.43LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.90 [0.59–1.43]
RankingsWhere TLR2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #74of 20,598
    Most Researched1,622 · top 1%
  • #14,723of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.43
Genes detectedTLR2
Sources retrieved50 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
50▼
1
Activation of Canine, Mouse and Human TLR2 and TLR4 by Inactivated
PMID: 35386703
Front Immunol · 2022
1.00
2
Association of TLR2 and TLR9 gene polymorphisms with atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.
PMID: 36237117
Immunol Med · 2023
0.90
3
TLR2-induced surface mobilization and release of CD14 in human platelets.
PMID: 41083701
Sci Rep · 2025
0.86
4
TLR2/6 agonists and interferon-gamma induce human melanoma cells to produce CXCL10.
PMID: 25765738
Int J Cancer · 2015
0.84
5
Extracellular vesicles from periodontal pathogens regulate hepatic steatosis via Toll-like receptor 2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.
PMID: 38251423
J Extracell Vesicles · 2024
0.80