Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine: http://www.expertreviews.org/
DOI: 10.1017/S1462399406000159; 22 November 2006
Annette Plüddemann, Subhankar Mukhopadhyay and Siamon Gordon (2006) The interaction of macrophage receptors with bacterial ligands. Expert Rev. Mol. Med. Vol. 8, Issue 28, DOI: 10.1017/S1462399406000159

The interaction of macrophage receptors with bacterial ligands

Annette Plüddemann ^a1, Subhankar Mukhopadhyay ^a1 and Siamon Gordon ^{a1 c1}

^a1 Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK.

^c1 Siamon Gordon, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 275534; Fax: +44 (0)1865 275515; E-mail: christine.holt@path.ox.ac.uk

Innate immune receptors play a key role in the early recognition of invading bacterial pathogens and initiate the crucial innate immune response. The diverse macrophage receptors recognise Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria via conserved structures on the bacterial surface and facilitate phagocytosis and/or signalling, providing the trigger for the adaptive immune response. These receptors include scavenger receptors, C-type lectins, integrins, Toll-like receptors and siglecs. The bacterial ligands generally recognised by these receptors range from lipopolysaccharides on Gram-negative bacteria to peptidoglycan and lipoteichoic acid on Gram-positive bacteria. However, emerging evidence indicates that bacterial proteins are also important ligands; for example, surface proteins from Neisseria meningitidis have been shown to be ligands for class A scavenger receptors. In addition, a group of cytosolic receptors, the NBS-LRR proteins, have been implicated in recognition of bacterial breakdown products. It is becoming increasingly apparent that macrophage receptors can act in conjunction with one another to deliver an appropriate response.

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