Toll-like receptors (TLRs), vital components of the immune system, help the body fight infection, but in an under- or overactive state, they can lead to disease. This book describes techniques currently used to study TLRs, their downstream signaling pathways, and their role in the pathogenesis of disease, and includes material on TLR expression and the application of genetic techniques and microanalysis to TLR research. Each chapter includes a brief introduction to its topic, lists of necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step directions, and troubleshooting tips. Focusing on receptors, Part I explains how to determine the expression of each TLR within a cell type, and describes the types of experimental ligands used to activate each TLR. This section also gives information on bioinformatics tools that can be used to identify TLRs and TLR-like proteins. Part II focuses on measuring downstream signaling events upon TLR activation; readouts such as measurement of cytokine secretion and report gene assays are discussed in depth. Part III describes how genetic techniques and microarray analysis can be applied to TLR research. Part IV explains techniques for measuring TLR expression and activation in different disease models, such as sepsis, lupus, and atherosclerosis. The book is for a range of biologists and medical researchers. B&w and color images are included. The editors are affiliated with the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)