Translational mini-review series on Toll-like receptors: Recent advances in understanding the role of Toll-like receptors in anti-viral immunity

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) respond to pathogens to initiate the innate immune response and direct adaptive immunity, and evidence to date suggests that they have a role in the detection of viruses. Many viral macromolecules have been shown to activate anti-viral signalling pathways via TLRs, leading to the induction of cytokines and interferons, while viruses also have means of not only evading detection by TLRs, but also of subverting these receptors for their own purposes. This review discusses the role of TLRs in the context of other known viral detection systems, and examines some of the often surprising results from studies using mice deficient in TLRs and their adaptors, in an attempt to unravel the particular contribution of TLRs to anti-viral immunity.