Cited by 582Immune Response and InflammationInvertebrate Immune Response MechanismsT-cell and B-cell Immunology

Toll-like receptors — taking an evolutionary approach

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Leulier, François, Lemaitre, Bruno·2008·Nature Reviews Genetics

Abstract

The Toll receptor was initially identified in Drosophila melanogaster for its role in embryonic development. Subsequently, D. melanogaster Toll and mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been recognized as key regulators of immune responses. After ten years of intense research on TLRs and the recent accumulation of genomic and functional data in diverse organisms, we review the distribution and functions of TLRs in the animal kingdom. We provide an evolutionary perspective on TLRs, which sheds light on their origin at the dawn of animal evolution and suggests that different TLRs might have been co-opted independently during animal evolution to mediate analogous immune functions.

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  • Pleurobrachia lacks major elements that initiate innate immunity such as pattern recognition receptors (Toll-like, Nod-like, RIG-like, Ig-Toll-IL-1R domain) and immune mediators MyD88 and RHD transcription factors, which are present in bilaterians, cnidarians and, in divergent forms, in sponges.

    “Pleurobrachia also lacks major elements that initiate innate immunity such as pattern recognitionreceptors(Toll-like,Nod-like,RIG-like,Ig-Toll-IL-1Rdomain) andimmunemediators,MyD88andRHDtranscriptionfactors,that are present in bilaterians, cnidarians and, in divergent forms, in sponges 19,20 (Supplementary Table 20).”

    From The ctenophore genome and the evolutionary origins of neural systems (2014) · cites this paper as [20]

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Authors
Leulier, F., & Lemaitre, B.
Affiliations
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
Venue
Nature Reviews Genetics
Published
2008-03
Volume
9
Issue
3
Pages
165-178
ISSN
  • 1471-0056 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-0064
OpenAlex
W2070793039
Cited by
581
References
131
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 34
FWCI
2.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Reviews Genetics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune Response and Inflammation
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Keywords
Toll-like receptors, immune system evolution, innate immunity, embryonic development, invertebrate immunity, vertebrate immunity, convergent evolution, animal evolution
MeSH terms
Animals, Humans, Evolution, Molecular, Toll-Like Receptors

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