Abstract
β-Glucans are known for their ability to trigger both protective and damaging immune responses. Here we have explored the role of the beta-glucan receptor Dectin-1 in archetypical models of protective and non-protective immunomodulation induced by beta-glucan rich ligands. In the first model, we explored the role of Dectin-1 in the ability of soluble purified β-glucans to mediate protection against systemic Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice. In the second model, we explored the role of Dectin-1 in zymosan induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. In both cases, these β-glucan rich compounds had marked effects in vivo which were unaltered by Dectin-1 deficiency, suggesting that this receptor has a redundant role in these murine models.