title: Crystal structure of human toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) ectodomain.
abstract: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play key roles in activating immune responses during infection. The human TLR3 ectodomain structure at 2.1 angstroms reveals a large horseshoe-shaped solenoid assembled from 23 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). Asparagines conserved in the 24-residue LRR motif contribute extensive hydrogen-bonding networks for solenoid stabilization. TLR3 is largely masked by carbohydrate, but one face is glycosylation-free, which suggests its potential role in ligand binding and oligomerization. Highly conserved surface residues and a TLR3-specific LRR insertion form a homodimer interface in the crystal, whereas two patches of positively charged residues and a second insertion would provide an appropriate binding site for double-stranded RNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Jungwoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kelker
authors.forename: Ian A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019281:Dimerization; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D007930:Leucine / Q000737:chemistry; D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D055672:Static Electricity; D013499:Surface Properties; D051196:Toll-Like Receptor 3; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C495344:TLR3 protein, human; D051196:Toll-Like Receptor 3; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D007930:Leucine