Toll-like receptor 4
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a transmembrane protein of approximately 95 kDa that is encoded by the TLR4 gene. TLR4 is also designated as CD284 (cluster of differentiation 284).
TLR4 belongs to the toll-like receptor family which is representative of the pattern recognition receptors (PRR), so named for their ability to recognize evolutionarily conserved components of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The recognition of a PAMP by a PRR triggers rapid activation of the innate immunity essential to fight infectious diseases.
TLR4 is expressed in immune cells mainly of myeloid origin, including monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells (DC). It is also expressed at a lower level on some non-immune cells, including epithelium, endothelium, placental cells and beta cells in Langerhans islets. Most myeloid cells express also high amounts of plasma membrane-anchored CD14, which facilitates the activation of TLR4 by LPS and controls the subsequent internalization of the LPS-activated TLR4 important for receptor signaling and degradation.
TLR4 is activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and some Gram-positive bacteria. TLR4 can also be activated by endogenous compounds called damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), including high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) and hyaluronic acid. These compounds are released during tissue injury and can activate TLR4 in non-infectious conditions to induce tissue repair. Apart from LPS and its derivatives, up to 30 natural TLR4 agonists with diverse chemical structures have been postulated. However, besides DAMPs, the others have not demonstrated to be direct activators of TLR4 and could therefore act as chaperones for TLR4 or as promoters of LPS internalization.