The evolutionary landscape of cytosolic microbial sensors in humans.

ABSTRACT: Host-pathogen interactions are generally initiated by host recognition of microbial components or danger signals triggered by microbial invasion. This recognition involves germline-encoded microbial sensors or pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). By studying the way in which natural selection has driven the evolution of these microbial sensors in humans, we can identify genes playing an essential role and distinguish them from other, more redundant genes. We characterized the sequence diversity of the NOD-like receptor family, including the NALP and NOD/IPAF subfamilies, in various populations worldwide and compared this diversity with that of other PRR families, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs). We found that most NALPs had evolved under strong selective

SUBMITTER: Vasseur E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3397270 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature