A beginner's guide to NF-kappaB signaling pathways.
Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) belongs to a family of heterodimeric transcription factors that play a key role in inflammatory and stress responses as well as in tumor cell resistance to apoptosis. These effects are due to the NF-kappaB-dependent transcription of many proinflammatory and antiapoptotic genes, whose products ensure various cell responses to environmental conditions. The signal transduction pathways leading to NF-kappaB activation are well characterized, and the different steps implicated in these pathways involve proteins that could constitute targets for NF-kappaB inhibition. Several inhibitors aiming to prevent NF-kappaB activity and thus the transcription of target genes are studied, and a few compounds seem particularly promising. We try here to summarize the advantages that can issue from various studies on NF-kappaB.
Delhalle
Sylvie
S
Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Blasius
Romain
R
Dicato
Mario
M
Diederich
Marc
M
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D016328:NF-kappa B