Extrarenal viral infections commonly trigger glomerulonephritis, usually in association with
immune complex disease. The Ig component of immune complexes can activate glomerular
cell Fc receptors, but whether complexed viral nucleic acids contribute to glomerular
inflammation remains unknown. Because of the types of Toll-like receptors (Tlrs) expressed
by glomerular mesangial cells, we hypothesized that viral single-stranded RNA and DNA
would activate mesangial cells via Tlr-independent pathways and trigger overlapping …