Barreira-Silva Palmira, Lian Yilong, Kaufmann Stefan H E, Moura-Alves Pedro
IBMC, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Nat Rev Immunol. 2025 Mar;25(3):178-194. doi: 10.1038/s41577-024-01088-4. Epub 2024 Oct 16.
Host-microorganism encounters take place in many different ways and with different types of outcomes. Three major types of microorganisms need to be distinguished: (1) pathogens that cause harm to the host and must be controlled; (2) environmental microorganisms that can be ignored but must be controlled at higher abundance; and (3) symbiotic microbiota that require support by the host. Recent evidence indicates that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) senses and initiates signalling and gene expression in response to a plethora of microorganisms and infectious conditions. It was originally identified as a receptor that binds xenobiotics. However, it was subsequently found to have a critical role in numerous biological processes, including immunity and inflammation and was recently classified as a pattern recognition receptor. Here we review the role of the AHR in host-pathogen interactions, focusing on AHR sensing of different microbial classes, the ligands involved, responses elicited and disease outcomes. Moreover, we explore the therapeutic potential of targeting the AHR in the context of infection.
宿主与微生物的相遇以多种不同方式发生，并产生不同类型的结果。需要区分三种主要类型的微生物：（1）对宿主造成伤害且必须加以控制的病原体；（2）可被忽略但在数量较多时必须加以控制的环境微生物；（3）需要宿主支持的共生微生物群。最近的证据表明，芳烃受体（AHR）可感知并启动信号传导和基因表达，以应对大量微生物和感染情况。它最初被鉴定为一种结合外源性物质的受体。然而，随后发现它在包括免疫和炎症在内的众多生物学过程中起关键作用，最近被归类为一种模式识别受体。在此，我们综述AHR在宿主-病原体相互作用中的作用，重点关注AHR对不同微生物类别的感知、所涉及的配体、引发的反应和疾病结果。此外，我们探讨在感染背景下靶向AHR的治疗潜力。
