1. Tumor Necrosis Factor-α/Receptor Signaling Through the Akt Kinase.
- Author
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Bhattacharya, Jahar, Ozes, Osman Nidai, Akca, Hakan, Gustin, Jason A., Mayo, Lindsey D., Pincheira, Roxana, Korgaonkar, Chandrashekhar K., and Donner, David B.
- Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that can affect the growth, differentiation, and metabolism of virtually every nucleated cell type in the body. TNF promotes immunity, but its expression is also associated with pathologies, such as rheumatoid arthritis, type II diabetes, and cachexia. Two distinct cell-surface receptors bind TNF, the type I receptor (TNFR1), which contains a conserved motif called a "death domain" in its C-terminus, and the type II receptor. Binding of TNF to TNFR1 brings the death domains of TNFR1 into physical proximity, thereby promoting their interactions with cytoplasmic proteins that also contain death domains. Thus, a signal transduction cascade is initiated that coincidentally activates caspases that promote cell death and, additionally, anti-apoptotic events. The balance between these arms of the TNFR1 signaling cascade determines whether cells live or die. We found that binding of TNF to TNFR1 activates the Akt (protein kinase B) serine threoinine kinase. In cells, Akt regulates the expression of gene products that promote cell survival or suppress apoptosis, in part through activation of a transcription factor, nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Systemically, activation of NF-κB by TNF during infections can induce a catabolic state in low-priority tissues, such as muscle and fat, thereby liberating energy reserves that permit anabolic activity in higher-priority tissues such as the liver and the immune system. Thus, TNF can coordinate the acute-phase response by acting through Akt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005
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