title: Microbial sensing by Toll receptors: a historical perspective.
abstract: The family of Toll-like receptors plays an essential role in the induction of the immune response. These receptors sense the presence of microbial ligands and activate the nuclear factor-κB transcription factor. We review the key studies that led from the formulation of the concept of pattern recognition receptors to the characterization of Toll-like receptors, insisting on the important role played by the model organism Drosophila melanogaster and on the increasing evidence connecting these receptors to cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: CNRS-UPR, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Stanislava
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chtarbanova
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Imler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000266:history / Q000276:immunology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000266:history / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors