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Science 24 March 2006:
Vol. 311. no. 5768, p. 1669
DOI: 10.1126/science.311.5768.1669k
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Since the late 1800s, sunlight and other forms of light therapy have been considered potentially beneficial for tuberculosis, most likely because of the antimicrobial effects of sunlight-induced synthesis of vitamin D. Liu et al. (p. 1770) reveal that vitamin D signaling contributes to the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway of microbicidal defense to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in monocytes and macrophages. Activation of TLR2/1 by a bacterial lipoprotein led to vitamin D receptor expression and processing of the provitamin D precursor, which stimulated vitamin D-induced up-regulation of an antimicrobial peptide and killing of MTB bacilli. The low levels of circulating provitamin D3 hormone and limited ability to induce the microbicidal peptide observed in sera of African-American individuals may contribute to their increased susceptibility to tuberculosis.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)