title: Toll like receptors in diseases of the lung.
abstract: The lung is in continuous contact with a diverse array of infectious agents, foreign antigens, and host-derived danger signals. To sample this expansive internal and external milieu, both resident myeloid and stromal/structure cells of the lung express a full complement of toll like receptors (TLRs) which recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and endogenous danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). TLRs play a vital role in immune host defense against bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens of the lung. Additionally, TLRs contribute to disease pathogenesis in non-infectious pulmonary disorders, including airway disease, acute lung injury, and interstitial lung disease. In this review, TLR biology in the context of experimental infectious and non-infectious lung disease is discussed, and correlates to human lung disease, including therapeutic implications of these findings, are defined.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kovach
authors.forename: Theodore J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Standiford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D008024:Ligands; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D023421:Models, Animal; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000819:agonists / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors