1932

Abstract

There are many circumstances under which a toxin exploits an endogenous receptor or another protein of host origin to work its untoward effects. In most instances, the receptor normally fulfills a function that has nothing to do with the toxin per se; that is, the toxin is not the “natural” ligand. The situation with endotoxin, however, is a remarkable one. The endotoxin receptor evolved to detect endotoxin. Why have mammals maintained a gene that can undermine their survival? The search for the endotoxin receptor answered this question and also revealed the essential function and biological strategy of the Toll-like receptors: principal sensors of the innate immune system.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.43.100901.135729
2003-04-01
2024-10-04
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.43.100901.135729
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.43.100901.135729
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error