title: NF-kappaB at the crossroads of life and death.
abstract: The choice between life and death is one of the major events in regulation of the immune system. T cells that specifically recognize viral or bacterial antigens are selected to survive and proliferate in response to infection, whereas those that are self-reactive are eliminated via apoptosis. Even the survival of alloreactive T cells requires their proper costimulation and, when infection subsides, the activated T cells are eliminated. A major regulator of such life or death decisions is the transcription factor NF-kappaB. However, NF-kappaB cannot function alone. A variety of mechanisms exist to modulate its activity and thereby affect the ultimate outcome of a cell's fate.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0636, USA. karinoffice@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karin
authors.forename: Anning
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000502:physiology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D047990:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 1; D047992:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; D011506:Proteins; D047990:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 1; D047992:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha