Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #261598
Title: Toll receptors in lower vertebrates and expanding family

Author
item Quiniou, Sylvie
item BENGTEN, EVA - University Of Mississippi Medical Center
item WILSON, MELANIE - University Of Mississippi Medical Center
item BOUDINOT, PIERRE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2010
Publication Date: 6/1/2010
Citation: Quiniou, S., Bengten, E., Wilson, M., Boudinot, P. 2010. Toll receptors in lower vertebrates and expanding family. Meeting Abstract. International Symposium on Animal Genomics for Animal Health Meeting. Pg: 48.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: It has been well established that Toll-like receptors (TLR) are critical actors in the early detection of pathogens. Upon binding of pathogen-associated molecules, they trigger a signaling that activates the immune system and initiates host defense. We undertook the characterization of the TLR in the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, the leading species in North American aquaculture. We uncovered in this species the most diverse TLR set reported in vertebrates. Fifteen different TLR types have been identified. Multiple copies of TLR4, TLR5 and TLR20 were found, and secreted forms of TLR4 and TLR5 are expressed. A comparative analysis of catfish TLR with sequences from other vertebrates revealed that several TLR types may be more ancient than previously thought. One TLR group including the virus sensor TLR22 has been greatly expanded in teleosts but was lost during tetrapod evolution. This work raises once more the complicated – but important - issue of TLR nomenclature. More work remains to be done to identify the ligands of teleost TLR, to establish whether TLR specificity is a conserved feature, and to understand their respective roles in pathogen sensing and immunity.