Innate immune signaling in defense against intestinal microbes

The gastrointestinal system is a common entry point for pathogenic microbes to access the inner environment of the body. Anti-microbial factors produced by the intestinal mucosa limit the translocation of both commensal and pathogenic microbes across the intestinal epithelial cell barrier. The regulation of these host defense mechanisms largely depends on the activation of innate immune receptors by microbial molecules. Under steady-state conditions, the microbiota provides constitutive signals to the innate immune system, which helps to maintain a healthy inflammatory tone within the intestinal mucosa and, thus, enhances resistance to infection with enteric pathogens. During an acute infection, the intestinal epithelial cell barrier is breached, and the detection of microbial molecules in the intestinal lamina propria rapidly stimulates innate immune signaling pathways that coordinate early defense mechanisms. Herein, we review how microbial molecules shed by both commensal and pathogenic microbes direct host defenses at the intestinal mucosa. We highlight the signaling pathways, effector molecules, and cell populations that are activated by microbial molecule recognition and, thereby, are involved in the maintenance of homeostatic levels of host defense and in the early response to acute enteric infection. Finally, we discuss how manipulation of these host defense pathways by stimulating innate immune receptors is a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent or alleviate intestinal disease.