Regulation of innate immune responses by transmembrane interactions: lessons from the TLR family.
The mammalian innate immune response is responsible for the early stages of defense against invading pathogens. One of the major receptor families facilitating innate immune activation is the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. These receptors are type 1 membrane proteins spanning the membrane with a single transmembrane domain (TMD). All TLRs form homo- and hetero-dimers within membranes and new data suggest that the single transmembrane domain of some of these receptors is involved in their dimerization and function. Newly identified TLR dimers are continuously reported but only little is known about the importance of the TMDs for their dimer assembly and signaling regulation. Uncontrolled or untimely activation of TLRs is related to a large number of pathologies ranging from cystic fibrosis to sepsis and cancer. In this review we will focus on the contribution of the TMDs of innate immune receptors - specifically TLR2-to their regulation and function. In addition, we will address the current issues remaining to be solved regarding the mechanistic insights of this regulation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Structure and Function: Relevance in the Cell's Physiology, Pathology and Therapy.
Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Eliran Moshe
EM
Reuven
Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Avner
A
Fink
Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel. Electronic address: Yechiel.Shai@weizmann.ac.il.
Yechiel
Y
Shai
D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology*
D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
Innate immunity; Membrane interactions; Synthetic peptides; Toll-like receptor; Transmembrane domain