title: The biology of Toll-like receptors.
abstract: In 1997, a human homologue of the Drosophila Toll protein was described, a protein later to be designated Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Since that time, additional human and murine TLR proteins have been identified. Mammalian TLR proteins appear to represent a conserved family of innate immune recognition receptors. These receptors are coupled to a signaling pathway that is conserved in mammals, insects, and plants, resulting in the activation of genes that mediate innate immune defenses. Numerous studies have now identified a wide variety of chemically-diverse bacterial products that serve as putative ligands for TLR proteins. More recent studies have identified the first endogenous protein ligands for TLR proteins. TLR signaling represents a key feature of innate immune response to pathogen invasion.
authors.affiliation: The Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, R-220, 80 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118-2394, USA.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Means
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Golenbock
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fenton
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008024:Ligands; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008322:Mammals; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051198:Toll-Like Receptor 5; D051216:Toll-Like Receptor 6; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008024:Ligands; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C495345:TLR4 protein, human; C495368:TLR6 protein, human; C068721:Tl protein, Drosophila; C495369:Tlr6 protein, mouse; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051198:Toll-Like Receptor 5; D051216:Toll-Like Receptor 6; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; C495341:tehao protein, Drosophila