Toll-like receptors are key participants in innate immune responses.
During an infection, one of the principal challenges for the host is to detect the pathogen and activate a rapid defensive response. The Toll-like family of receptors (TLRs), among other pattern recognition receptors (PRR), performs this detection process in vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. These type I transmembrane receptors identify microbial conserved structures or pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Recognition of microbial components by TLRs initiates signaling transduction pathways that induce gene expression. These gene products regulate innate immune responses and further develop an antigen-specific acquired immunity. TLR signaling pathways are regulated by intracellular adaptor molecules, such as MyD88, TIRAP/Mal, between others that provide specificity of individual TLR- mediated signaling pathways. TLR-mediated activation of innate immunity is involved not only in host defense against pathogens but also in immune disorders. The involvement of TLR-mediated pathways in auto-immune and inflammatory diseases is described in this review article.
Programa Disciplinario de Inmunología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Sergio A
SA
Arancibia
Caroll J
CJ
Beltrán
Isabel M
IM
Aguirre
Paulina
P
Silva
Alexis L
AL
Peralta
Frano
F
Malinarich
Marcela A
MA
Hermoso
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D053594:Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 / Q000276:immunology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000276:immunology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D000097782:NF-kappaB-Inducing Kinase
D053594:Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D000097782:NF-kappaB-Inducing Kinase