Abstract: Edible mushrooms are macrofungi containing a variety of bioactive substances, and they are widely distributed in nature. A great number of studies show that bioactive proteins from edible mushrooms play a crucial role in immune regulation, and anti-tumor and anti-bacterial effects. Especially, the immune regulatory mechanism of edible fungi has attracted wide attention from researchers. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) signaling pathways can transfer extracellular signal to the immune system and activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathways. In this paper, we review the immunomodulatory effects of bioactive proteins such as fungal immunoregulatory proteins, lectins, ribosomal-inactivating proteins and glycopeptides in edible fungi, and elaborate the mechanism of action of these proteins to regulate the immune system through TLRs signaling pathways. The aim of this review is to summarize the upto- date studies on bioactive proteins in edible mushrooms and provide a reference for the development of health products or pharmaceuticals from edible fungi.

Key words: edible mushroom, bioactive protein, TLRs signaling pathways, immunomodulatory effects