title: Toll-like receptors and their adapter molecules.
abstract: Toll-like receptors (TLR) are among key receptors of the innate mammalian immune system. Receptors of this family are able to recognize specific highly conserved molecular regions (patterns) in pathogen structures, thus initiating reactions of both innate and acquired immune response finally resulting in the elimination of the pathogen. In this case every individual TLR type is able to bind a broad spectrum of molecules of microbial origin characterized by different chemical properties and structures. Recent data demonstrate the existence of a multistep mechanism of the TLR recognition of the pathogen in which, in addition to receptors proper, the involvement of different adapter molecules is necessary. However, functions of separate adapter molecules as well as the principles of formation of a multicomponent system of ligand-specific recognition are still not quite understandable. We describe all identified as well as possible (candidate) adapter TLR molecules by giving their brief characteristics, and we also propose generalized possible variants of the TLR ligand-specific recognition with involvement of adapter molecules.
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, 123098, Russia. amir_tuhvatulin@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Tukhvatulin
authors.forename: D Yu
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Logunov
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Shcherbinin
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shmarov
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Naroditsky
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Gudkov
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gintsburg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D018955:CD36 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D051218:Lymphocyte Antigen 96 / Q000378:metabolism; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D018955:CD36 Antigens; D008024:Ligands; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D051218:Lymphocyte Antigen 96; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors