Pattern recognition receptor

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) play a crucial role in the proper function of the innate immune system. PRRs are germline-encoded host sensors, which detect molecules typical for the pathogens. They are proteins expressed, mainly, by cells of the innate immune system, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, monocytes, neutrophils and epithelial cells, to identify two classes of molecules: pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which are associated with microbial pathogens, and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are associated with components of host's cells that are released during cell damage or death. They are also called primitive pattern recognition receptors because they evolved before other parts of the immune system, particularly before adaptive immunity. PRRs also mediate the initiation of antigen-specific adaptive immune response and release of inflammatory cytokines.RIG-I and Mda5-mediated signalling pathway. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) play a crucial role in the proper function of the innate immune system. PRRs are germline-encoded host sensors, which detect molecules typical for the pathogens. They are proteins expressed, mainly, by cells of the innate immune system, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, monocytes, neutrophils and epithelial cells, to identify two classes of molecules: pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which are associated with microbial pathogens, and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are associated with components of host's cells that are released during cell damage or death. They are also called primitive pattern recognition receptors because they evolved before other parts of the immune system, particularly before adaptive immunity. PRRs also mediate the initiation of antigen-specific adaptive immune response and release of inflammatory cytokines. The microbe-specific molecules that are recognized by a given PRR are called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and include bacterial carbohydrates (such as lipopolysaccharide or LPS, mannose), nucleic acids (such as bacterial or viral DNA or RNA), bacterial peptides (flagellin, microtubule elongation factors), peptidoglycans and lipoteichoic acids (from Gram-positive bacteria), N-formylmethionine, lipoproteins and fungal glucans and chitin. Endogenous stress signals are called damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and include uric acid and extracellular ATP, among many other compounds. There are several subgroups of PRRs. They are classified according to their ligand specificity, function, localization and/or evolutionary relationships. Based on their localization, PRRs may be divided into membrane-bound PRRs and cytoplasmic PRRs. PRRs were first discovered in plants. Since that time many plant PRRs have been predicted by genomic analysis (370 in rice; 47 in Arabidopsis). Unlike animal PRRs, which associated with intracellular kinases via adaptor proteins (see non-RD kinases below), plant PRRs are composed of an extracellular domain, transmembrane domain, juxtamembrane domain and intracellular kinase domain as part of a single protein. Recognition of extracellular or endosomal pathogen-associated molecular patterns is mediated by transmembrane proteins known as toll-like receptors (TLRs). TLRs share a typical structural motif, the Leucine rich repeats (LRR), which give them their specific appearance and are also responsible for TLR functionality. Toll-like receptors were first discovered in Drosophila and trigger the synthesis and secretion of cytokines and activation of other host defense programs that are necessary for both innate or adaptive immune responses. 10 functional members of the TLR family have been described in humans so far. Studies have been conducted on TLR11 as well, and it has been shown that it recognizes flagellin and profilin-like proteins in mice. Nonetheless, TLR11 is only a pseudogene in humans without direct function or functional protein expression. Each of the TLR has been shown to interact with a specific PAMP. TLRs tend to dimerize, TLR4 forms homodimers, and TLR6 can dimerize with either TLR1 or TLR2. Interaction of TLRs with their specific PAMP is mediated through either MyD88- dependent pathway and triggers the signaling through NF-κB and the MAP kinase pathway and therefore the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules or TRIF - dependent signaling pathway. MyD88 - dependent pathway is induced by various PAMPs stimulating the TLRs on macrophages and dendritic cells. MyD88 attracts the IRAK4 molecule, IRAK4 recruits IRAK1 and IRAK2 to form a signaling complex. The signaling complex reacts with TRAF6 which leads to TAK1 activation and consequently the induction of inflammatory cytokines. The TRIF-dependent pathway is induced by macrophages and DCs after TLR3 and TLR4 stimulation. Molecules released following TLR activation signal to other cells of the immune system making TLRs key elements of innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Many different cells of the innate immune system express a myriad of CLRs which shape innate immunity by virtue of their pattern recognition ability. Even though, most classes of human pathogens are covered by CLRs, CLRs are a major receptor for recognition of fungi: nonetheless, other PAMPs have been identified in studies as targets of CLRs as well e.g. mannose is the recognition motif for many viruses, fungi and mycobacteria; similarly fucose presents the same for certain bacteria and helminths; and glucans are present on mycobacteria and fungi. In addition, many of acquired nonself surfaces e.g. carcinoembryonic/oncofetal type neoantigens carrying 'internal danger source'/'self turned nonself' type pathogen pattern are also identified and destroyed (e.g. by complement fixation or other cytotoxic attacks) or sequestered (phagocytosed or ensheathed) by the immune system by virtue of the CLRs. The name lectin is a bit misleading because the family includes proteins with at least one C-type lectin domain (CTLD) which is a specific type of carbohydrate recognition domain. CTLD is a ligand binding motif found in more than 1000 known proteins (more than 100 in humans) and the ligands are often not sugars. If and when the ligand is sugar they need Ca2+ – hence the name 'C-type', but many of them don't even have a known sugar ligand thus despite carrying a lectin type fold structure, some of them are technically not 'lectin' in function. There are several types of signaling involved in CLRs induced immune response, major connection has been identified between TLR and CLR signaling, therefore we differentiate between TLR-dependent and TLR-independent signaling. DC-SIGN leading to RAF1-MEK-ERK cascade, BDCA2 signaling via ITAM and signaling through ITIM belong among the TLR-dependent signaling. TLR-independent signaling such as Dectin 1, and Dectin 2 - mincle signaling lead to MAP kinase and NFkB activation.