Not only does the innate immune system represent the first line of defense against invading pathogens, but it is also responsible for instructing appropriate adaptive immune responses. Pattern recognition receptors (PRR) detect the presence of invading pathogens and are paramount in innate instruction of the adaptive immune response. A diverse class of PRRs, the NOD-like Receptors (NLR), has recently been implicated in the regulation of processes ranging from anti-tumor immunity to the adjuvant action of aluminum hydroxide. In this review we will highlight many of the recent findings in the NLR field with a particular focus on NLR influence of adaptive immune responses.
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