Endotoxin, toll-like receptor 4, and the afferent limb of innate immunity.
Positional cloning work and subsequent biochemical analyses have revealed that Toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4) transduces the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signal, alerting the host to infection by Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, it appears that the LPS sensing pathway is a solitary one: disruption of Tlr4 causes complete unresponsiveness to LPS. As several Tlr family members exist in vertebrates, it appears likely that the innate immune system defends the host by recognizing a small number of structurally conserved molecules that distinguish the microbial world from tissues of the host.
Beutler
B
B
Howard Hughes Medical institute, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, 75235-9050 TX, USA.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000276:immunology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051198:Toll-Like Receptor 5; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004731:Endotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C495345:TLR4 protein, human; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051198:Toll-Like Receptor 5; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; C495341:tehao protein, Drosophila