Abstract

The study of innate immunity and its link to inflammation and host defense encompasses diverse areas of biology, ranging from genetics and biophysics to signal transduction and physiology. Central to our understanding of these events are the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), an evolutionarily ancient family of pattern recognition receptors. Herein, we describe the mechanisms and consequences of TLR-mediated signal transduction with a focus on themes identified in the TLR pathways that also explain the operation of other immune signaling pathways. These themes include the detection of conserved microbial structures to identify infectious agents and the use of supramolecular organizing centers (SMOCs) as signaling organelles that ensure digital cellular responses. Further themes include mechanisms of inducible gene expression, the coordination of gene regulation and metabolism, and the influence of these activities on adaptive immunity. Studies in these areas have informed the development of next-generation therapeutics, thus ensuring a bright future for research in this area.

Keywords

BiologySignal transductionInnate immune systemReceptorImmunityAcquired immune systemImmune systemToll-like receptorPattern recognition receptorCell biologyTollComputational biologyNeuroscienceImmunologyGenetics

MeSH Terms

Adaptive ImmunityAnimalsHumansImmunityInnateInflammationOrganellesSignal TransductionToll-Like Receptors

Affiliated Institutions

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Publication Info

Year
2020
Type
review
Volume
180
Issue
6
Pages
1044-1066
Citations
1907
Access
Closed

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1907
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85
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1772
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Cite This

Katherine A. Fitzgerald, Jonathan C. Kagan (2020). Toll-like Receptors and the Control of Immunity. Cell , 180 (6) , 1044-1066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.041

Identifiers

DOI
10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.041
PMID
32164908
PMCID
PMC9358771

Data Quality

Data completeness: 90%