In summary, our data demonstrated that in vitro glucan phosphate induced a transcription factor binding and a subsequent cytokine profile different from LPS and also from TSST-1 and, moreover, switched a pro-inflammatory TSST-1-induced response to an IL-1RA-mediated anti-inflammatory reaction. Our results also generated new insights into a very complex interplay of transcription factor binding to various known and newly identified sites in the IL-1RA promoter (Fig. 8), which can be regulated differentially by a fungal carbohydrate. Together with the in vivo studies [22,37], our findings might support the concept of protective effects mediated by glucan phosphate in pro-inflammatory conditions, especially with a dysregulated IL-1β/IL-1RA ratio [52,53].