Toll and Toll-like receptor signalling in development

• Published in: Development (Cambridge) Vol. 145; no. 9; p. dev156018
• Main Authors: Anthoney, Niki, Foldi, Istvan, Hidalgo, Alicia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Company of Biologists Ltd 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Cell fate; Cell interactions; Cell number; Central nervous system; Innate immunity; Molecular modelling; Neural networks; NF-κB protein; Receptor mechanisms; Signal transduction; Synaptogenesis; Toll-like receptors; Cell proliferation; FoxO; Cell survival; JNK; Tol-1; TIR-NBS-LRR; Dorsal; Signalling; MyD88; Sarm; NF-κB; Structural plasticity; Cell fate; Cell death; TLR; Toll; Wek
• ISSN: 0950-1991; 1477-9129; 1477-9129
• DOI: 10.1242/dev.156018

The membrane receptor Toll and the related Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are best known for their universal function in innate immunity. However, Toll/TLRs were initially discovered in a developmental context, and recent studies have revealed that Toll/TLRs carry out previously unanticipated functions in development, regulating cell fate, cell number, neural circuit connectivity and synaptogenesis. Furthermore, knowledge of their molecular mechanisms of action is expanding and has highlighted that Toll/TLRs function beyond the canonical NF-κB pathway to regulate cell-to-cell communication and signalling at the synapse. Here, we provide an overview of Toll/TLR signalling and discuss how this signalling pathway regulates various aspects of development across species.