NLRs: a Cytosolic Armory of Microbial Sensors Linked to Human Diseases.

In mammals, a tissue-specific set of Nod-like receptors (NLRs) enables collectively a swift and differential cytosolic detection of evolutionary distant microbial- and/or danger-associated molecular patterns from the extracellular and intracellular microenvironment. Repressing and de-repressing this surveil-lance machinery contribute to vital immune homeostasis and protective responses within specific tissues. Conversely, defective biology of NLR signaling pathways drives the development of recurrent infectious and/or inflammatory diseases by failing to mount barrier functions, to instruct the adaptive immune response and/or to ignore self and non-self antigens. Better decoding of microbial shedding and immune escape strategies will provide clues for the development of rational therapies striving to cure and prevent common and emerging immunopathologies in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]