title: Of mice and man: TLR11 (finally) finds profilin.
abstract: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are primordial pathogen-recognition proteins that function as sentinels for the innate immune system. One of the TLR mysteries relates to TLR11, a receptor present in mice, but not humans, and known to recognize uropathogenic Escherichia coli. The first defined ligand for TLR11 has now been described as a profilin-like protein from Toxoplasma gondii. This discovery potentially gives us important clues as to how a gene expressed in mice, but not humans, actually relates to human infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Disease & Immunology, Department of Medicine, The University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
authors.forename: Fanny N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Lauw
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Caffrey
authors.forename: Douglas T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Golenbock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D051304:Profilins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D051304:Profilins; C482902:TLR11 protein, human; C482903:Tlr11 protein, mouse; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors