Pattern recognition receptors—Molecular orchestrators of inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are a family of germline encoded receptors responsible for the detection of “pathogen associated molecular patterns” (PAMPs) or host derived “damage associated molecular patterns” (DAMPs) which induce innate immune signalling to generate a pro-inflammatory profile within the host. Four main classes of PRRs are recognised, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), NOD-like receptors (NLRs), RIG-like receptors (RLRs) and C-type lectin receptors (CLRs). Abnormal activation of PRRs has been implicated in various autoimmune and inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Recent growing evidence has implicated these PRRs as contributory elements to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Here, the current literature which implicates PRRs in IBD and CAC is comprehensively reviewed.     

Innate immunity and cardiomyocytes in ischemic heart disease

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is the most common cause of myocardial inflammation, which is primarily a manifestation of the innate immune responses. Innate immunity is activated when pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) respond to molecular patterns common to microbes and to danger signals expressed by injured or infected cells, so called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). The expression of various PRRs in cardiomyocytes and the release of DAMPs from cardiomyocytes subjected to I/R injury, through active mechanisms as well as passive processes, enable cardiomyocytes to generate innate immune responses. Studies in isolated heart and cardiomyocytes have confirmed the inflammatory and functional effects of cardiac PRRs especially Toll-like receptors in response to I/R-derived DAMPs, such as heat shock proteins. This review addresses the active role of cardiomyocytes in mediating innate inflammatory responses to myocardial I/R. We propose that cardiomyocytes act as innate immune cells in myocardial I/R injury.     

Innate signaling in the inflammatory immune disorders

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of innate immune cells recognize the conserved molecular signatures on pathogens, termed pathogen-associated molecular patterns. PRRs also recognize endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns. Following pathogen infection or tissue damage, the stimulation of PRRs activates distinct but shared signaling pathways that lead to effector mechanisms in innate host defense. PRR signaling is strictly and finely tuned to ensure the appropriate duration and strength to prevent damaging inflammation to the host. Here we attempt to provide a brief background on the agonists and signal transduction pathways of PRRs and summarize the mechanisms underlying the control of PRR signaling, with a particular focus on the recent progress of the involvement of PRR signaling in the inflammatory immune disorders.     

Erratum to: Plant pattern-recognition receptors controlling innate immunity

Plants are exposed to numerous potential pathogenic microbes. To counter the threat, plants have evolved diverse patternrecognition receptors(PRRs), which are receptor kinases(RKs) and receptor proteins(RPs) specialized to detect conserved pathogen/microbe-associated molecular patterns(PAMPs/MAMPs). Although only a handful of RKs and RPs are known PRRs, they belong to the receptor-like kinase(RLK) and receptor-like protein(RLP) superfamilies that undergo lineage- specific expansion, suggesting that many of these RLKs and RLPs are potential PRRs. Analyses of existing PRRs have uncovered ligand-induced RLK-RK or RLK-RP oligomerization as a common mechanism for immune activation. PRRs can recruit additional components to form dynamic receptor complexes, which mediate specific cellular responses. Detailed analyses of these components are shedding light on molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of PRR activity and downstream signaling.     

Plant pattern-recognition receptors controlling innate immunity

Plants are exposed to numerous potential pathogenic microbes. To counter the threat, plants have evolved diverse patternrecognition receptors(PRRs), which are receptor kinases(RKs) and receptor proteins(RPs) specialized to detect conserved pathogen/microbe-associated molecular patterns(PAMPs/MAMPs). Although only a handful of RKs and RPs are known PRRs,they belong to the receptor-like kinase(RLK) and receptor-like protein(RLP) superfamilies that undergo lineage-specific expansion, suggesting that many of these RLKs and RLPs are potential PRRs. Analyses of existing PRRs have uncovered ligand-induced RLK-RK or RLK-RP oligomerization as a common mechanism for immune activation. PRRs can recruit additional components to form dynamic receptor complexes, which mediate specific cellular responses. Detailed analyses of these components are shedding light on molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of PRR activity and downstream signaling.     

NOD样受体在炎症反应中的调控作用

天然免疫(innate immunity)是机体免疫系统直接抵御病原体入侵的最初阶段,通过机体自身的特异性模式识别受体(pattern-recognition receptors,PRRs)来识别病原体特有的保守结构病原相关分子模式(pathogen-associated molecular patterns,PAMPs)。细胞内NOD样受体(NLRs)是胞浆型PRRs中的一个重要家族,病原体侵袭细胞可上调其表达,启动机体的免疫应答和炎症反应,在机体天然免疫应答中发挥独特的功能。最近有研究证明,NLRs的突变与一些人类免疫性疾病相关,并且在细菌感染和炎症反应的控制中起重要作用。该文将讨论NLRs在炎症疾病中的调控作用。     

Toll样受体识别机制及其生物学意义

Toll样受体介导的信号转导通路在对抗外来病原体的天然免疫应答中起重要作用。Toll样受体是一个天然模板识别受体家族,能识别固有性模板(微生物和哺乳动物所共有的病原相联的分子模板PAMPs)。Toll样受体通过巨噬细胞和其他免疫细胞来识别,其中TLR4识别内毒素、TLR2识别肽聚糖、TLR9识别细菌DNA、TLR5识别鞭毛蛋白、TLR3识别双链RNA等。本探讨了多种Toll受体家族成员在动物体内识别机理及功能,概述了其应用研究进展。     

Engineering plant resistance by constructing chimeric receptors that recognize damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)

An efficient sensing of danger and a rapid activation of the immune system are crucial for the survival of plants. Conserved pathogen/microbe-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/MAMPs) and endogenous molecular patterns, which are present only when the tissue is infected or damaged (damage-associated molecular patterns or DAMPs), can act as danger signals and activate the plant immune response. These molecules are recognized by surface receptors that are indicated as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). In this paper we summarize recent information on oligogalacturonides (OGs), a class of DAMPs that is released from the extracellular matrix of the plant cell during pathogen attack or wounding. We also describe the characteristics of the Arabidopsis Wall-Associated Kinase 1 (WAK1), a PRR recently identified as a receptor of OGs and discuss the use of WAK1, PRRs and chimeric receptors to engineer resistance in crop plants.     

Host-microbe interactions: innate pattern recognition of fungal pathogens

The recognition of fungi is mediated by germline pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as Toll-like receptors and lectin receptors that interact with conserved structures of the microorganisms, the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Subsequently, PRRs activate intracellular signals that collaborate for the efficient activation of the host defense. The specificity of these responses is achieved through the activation of a particular mosaic of PRRs, that is determined by the available fungal PAMPs and the innate immune cells involved. This will determine a divergence of the final type of reaction, and in this way the innate host defense has the capability to deliver tailored responses to each pathogen.     

抗病毒感染固有免疫应答的信号转导

入侵病毒的探知和适应性免疫应答启动均依靠固有免疫系统。三种模式识别受体(PRRs)在宿主防御系统第一线占据极其重要地位:Toll样受体、维甲酸诱导基因I样受体、核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体。PRRs识别病原相关分子模式(PAMP)或危险信号分子模式(DAMPs)启动和调节固有免疫和适应性免疫应答。每种PRR都有单独的识别配体和细胞定位。激活的PRRs将信号分子传递给其配体分子(MyD88,TRIF,IRAK,IPS-1),配体活化后作为信使激活信号途径下游激酶(IKK复合物,MAPKs,TBK1,RIP-1)和转录因子(NF-κB,AP-1,IRF3),最终产生细胞因子、趋化因子、促炎细胞因子和I型干扰素。本文重点讨论PRRs信号通路及该领域取得的成果,以期为人类健康和免疫疾病防治提供策略。     

Innate recognition of microbial-derived signals in immunity and inflammation

Microbes generate a vast array of different types of conserved structural components called pathogen-associated molecular patterns(PAMPs),which canbe recognized by cells of the innate immune system.This recognition of "nonself" signatures occurs through host pattern recognition receptors(PRRs),suggesting that microbial-derived signals are good targets for innate immunity to discriminate between self- and nonself.Such PAMP-PRR interactions trigger multiple but distinct downstream signaling cascades,subsequently leading to production of proinflammatory cytokines and interferons that tailor immune responses to particular microbes.Aberrant PRR signals have been associated with various inflammatory diseases and fine regulation of PRR signaling is essential for avoiding excessive inflammatory immune responses and maintaining immune homeostasis.In this review we summarize the ligands and signal transduction pathways of PRRs and highlight recent progress of the mechanisms involved in microbe-specific innate immune recognition during immune responses and inflammation,which may provide new targets for therapeutic intervention to the inflammatory disorders.     

Comparative study on pattern recognition receptors in non-teleost ray-finned fishes and their evolutionary significance in primitive vertebrates

Pattern recognition receptors(PRRs) play important roles in innate immunity system and trigger the specific pathogen recognition by detecting the pathogen-associated molecular patterns. The main four PRRs components including Toll-like receptors(TLRs), RIG-I-like receptors(RLRs), NOD-like receptors(NLRs) and C-type lectin receptors(CLRs) were surveyed in the five genomes of non-teleost ray-finned fishes(NTR) including bichir(Polypterus senegalus), American paddlefish(Polyodon spathula), alligator gar(Atractosteus spatula), spotted gar(Lepisosteus oculatus) and bowfin(Amia calva), representing all the four major basal groups of ray-finned fishes. The result indicates that all the four PRRs components have been well established in these NTR fishes. In the RLR-MAVS signal pathway, which detects intracellular RNA ligands to induce production of type I interferons(IFNs), the MAVS was lost in bichir particularly. Also, the essential genes of recognition of Lipopolysaccharide(LPS) commonly in mammals like MD2, LY96 and LBP could not be identified in NTR fishes. It is speculated that TLR4 in NTR fishes may act as a cooperator with other PRRs and has a different pathway of recognizing LPS compared with that in mammals. In addition, we provide a survey of NLR and CLR in NTR fishes. The CLRs results suggest that Group V receptors are absent in fishes and Group II and VI receptors are well established in the early vertebrate evolution. Our comprehensive research of PRRs involving NTR fishes provides a new insight into PRR evolution in primitive vertebrate.     

Plants and animals: a different taste for microbes?

Plants and animals can recognize potential pathogens by detecting pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Significant advances over the past few years have begun to unveil the molecular basis of PAMP perception by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Although these discoveries highlight common recognition strategies among higher eukaryotes, they also show differences with respect to the nature of the receptors involved and the exact molecular patterns recognized. This suggests a convergent evolution of microbe sensing by the innate immune systems of these various organisms.     

Molecular regulation of inflammation and cell death

Cell death and innate immunity are ancient evolutionary conserved processes that utilize a dazzling number of related molecular effectors and parallel signal transduction mechanisms. The investigation of the molecular mechanisms linking the sensing of a danger signal (pathogens or tissue damage) to the induction of an inflammatory response has witnessed a renaissance in the last few years. This was initiated by the identification of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and more recently cytosolic Nod-like receptors (NLRs), that brought innate immunity to center stage and opened the field to the study of signal transduction pathways, adaptors and central effectors linked to PRRs. This led to the characterization of the inflammasome, a macromolecular complex, scaffolded by NLRs, that recruits and activates inflammatory caspases, which are essential effectors in inflammation and cell death responses. In this review, we describe the molecular pathways of cell death and innate immunity with a focus on recent advancements in both fields and an emphasis on the striking analogies between NLR innate immunity and mitochondrial apoptosis pathways.     

Innate recognition of apoptotic cells: novel apoptotic cell-associated molecular patterns revealed by crossreactivity of anti-LPS antibodies

Cells dying by apoptosis are normally cleared by phagocytes through mechanisms that can suppress inflammation and immunity. Molecules of the innate immune system, the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), are able to interact not only with conserved structures on microbes (pathogen-associated molecular patterns, PAMPs) but also with ligands displayed by apoptotic cells. We reasoned that PRRs might therefore interact with structures on apoptotic cells – apoptotic cell-associated molecular patterns (ACAMPs) – that are analogous to PAMPs. Here we show that certain monoclonal antibodies raised against the prototypic PAMP, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), can crossreact with apoptotic cells. We demonstrate that one such antibody interacts with a constitutively expressed intracellular protein, laminin-binding protein, which translocates to the cell surface during apoptosis and can interact with cells expressing the prototypic PRR, mCD14 as well as with CD14-negative cells. Anti-LPS cross reactive epitopes on apoptotic cells colocalised with annexin V- and C1q-binding sites on vesicular regions of apoptotic cell surfaces and were released associated with apoptotic cell-derived microvesicles (MVs). These results confirm that apoptotic cells and microbes can interact with the immune system through common elements and suggest that anti-PAMP antibodies could be used strategically to characterise novel ACAMPs associated not only with apoptotic cells but also with derived MVs.     

TLRs、慢性炎症与肿瘤

Toll样受体是新发现的先天性免疫的病原模式识别受体,在机体抵抗外来病原生物入侵上起关键的作用。除了抵抗外来病原生物入侵外, Toll样受体现在也被认为与某些自身免疫性疾病、肿瘤和某些病因不明的疾病的发病有关。慢性炎症被认为在不同层面促进某些肿瘤的发生和发展,其中之一就是慢性炎症通过免疫抑制导致免疫系统对肿瘤细胞无反应,这种免疫抑制也与 Toll样受体有关。     

Receptor‐mediated recognition of mycobacterial pathogens

Mycobacteria are a genus of bacteria that range from the non‐pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis in humans. Mycobacteria primarily infect host tissues through inhalation or ingestion. They are phagocytosed by host macrophages and dendritic cells. Here, conserved pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on the surface of mycobacteria are recognized by phagocytic pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Several families of PRRs have been shown to non‐opsonically recognize mycobacterial PAMPs, including membrane‐bound C‐type lectin receptors, membrane‐bound and cytosolic Toll‐like receptors and cytosolic NOD‐like receptors. Recently, a possible role for intracellular cytosolic PRRs in the recognition of mycobacterial pathogens has been proposed. Here, we discuss currentideas on receptor‐mediated recognition of mycobacterial pathogens by macrophages and dendritic cells.     

Biased perspectives on formyl peptide receptors

The innate immune system is the first line of defense against pathogenic threats. For the early pathogen recognition and activation of cell protective mechanisms, germline-encoded pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect characteristic and evolutionary conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). PRRs are therefore key elements in the innate immune response; in addition, they sense danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that are released by host cell molecules under pathophysiological conditions. Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are G-protein-coupled PRRs that respond to a surprisingly broad range of ligands, derived from both pathogens and host cells. Here, we exemplary discuss ligands in order to illustrate the wide pathophysiological relevance of the FPR signaling axis in case of e.g., chronic inflammations and to underscore its potential therapeutic value in the light of “biased agonism”, a modern concept of GPCR (G-protein coupled receptors) activation. These novel insights into the GPCR receptor biochemistry will hopefully (re)stimulate FPR-related research and lead to novel strategies for the urgently needed development of drugs with pharmacologically advantageous characteristics.     

Plant pattern recognition receptor complexes at the plasma membrane

A key feature of innate immunity is the ability to recognize and respond to potential pathogens in a highly sensitive and specific manner. In plants, the activation of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) elicits a defense programme known as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Although only a handful of PAMP-PRR pairs have been defined, all known PRRs are modular transmembrane proteins containing ligand-binding ectodomains. It is becoming clear that PRRs do not act alone but rather function as part of multi-protein complexes at the plasma membrane. Recent studies describing the molecular interactions and protein modifications that occur between PRRs and their regulatory proteins have provided important mechanistic insight into how plants avoid infection and achieve immunity.     

Receptor protein kinases--pattern recognition receptors in plant immunity

Plant innate immunity is activated either upon perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) or upon resistance (R) protein-mediated recognition of pathogen race-specific effector molecules. Although many plant R proteins have been identified, there is only limited knowledge about plant PRRs. Recently, Cyril Zipfel et al. identified a second Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor protein kinase implicated in PAMP perception, which suggests that several members of this large protein family function as pattern recognition receptors.