 Pattern recognition receptor

A pattern recognition receptor detects characteristic molecular patterns associated with microbes or damaged tissue. In plant immunity, surface receptors connect extracellular recognition to intracellular signal transduction and defence.

Recognition of a widely shared pattern can provide broad surveillance, but the presence of that pattern does not by itself measure whether the interacting organism will cause disease. Pathogens can also interfere with signaling, which helps explain the additional surveillance provided by intracellular NLRs.