The endothelial cell-specific granule Weibel-Palade body releases vasoactive substances
capable of modulating vascular inflammation. Although innate recognition of pathogens by
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is thought to play a crucial role in promotion of inflammatory
responses, the molecular basis for early-phase responses of endothelial cells to bacterial
pathogens has not fully been understood. We here report that human aortic endothelial cells
respond to bacterial lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and synthetic bacterial lipopeptides, but not …