TLRs and innate immunity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll-like_receptor

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a class of proteins that play a key role in the innate immune system. They are single membrane-spanning non-catalytic receptors that recognize structurally conserved molecules derived from microbes. Once these microbes have breached physical barriers such as the skin or intestinal tract mucosa, they are recognized by TLRs which activates immune cell responses.

More than 100 years ago, Richard Pfeiffer, a student of Robert Koch, coined the term "endotoxin" to describe a substance produced by Gram-negative bacteria that could provoke fever and shock in experimental animals.