AXL and viral infectious disease: The TAM family tyrosine kinase receptors TYRO3, AXL, and MERTK (TAM) receptors have been assigned to have a prominent role in the following: regulating the innate immune response (17); phagocytosis and macrophage polarization by acting in coordination with cytokine signaling (18); and in several aspects of the host response to viral infection (19, 20).