Figure 2

Schematic diagram of Toll-like receptor -9 ( TLR9) -1237 and +2848 SNP positions and transcription factor (TF) binding sites in the TLR9 promotor region. In silico analyses show that the C allele at position −1237 creates extra putative binding sites for Nuclear Factor kappa B (NFκB), avian reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (RelA) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3). RelA is able to bind to NFkB to form the NFkB complex. STAT3 is able to activate transcription in the nucleus in response to cytokines. These processes may upregulate the expression of TLR9, altering the TLR9 initiated innate immune response to meningococcal DNA, affecting the clinical severity of meningococcal meningitis (partly adapted from Ng et al., [13]. Abbreviations: TF: transcription factor, R: A/G, N: any base, Y: C/T, W: A/T, D: A/T/G.