title: The lymphocyte guard-IANs: regulation of lymphocyte survival by IAN/GIMAP family proteins.
abstract: The life-or-death decision of immune cells makes an essential contribution to immune-system development and the regulation of immune responses. A new family of cell-survival regulators expressed in lymphocytes, termed immune-associated nucleotide-binding proteins (IANs) [also known as GTPase of immunity-associated proteins (GIMAPs)], has been described. The IAN/GIMAP family consists of GTP-binding proteins that share a unique primary structure and whose expression is finely regulated by T-cell receptor signals. Recent studies have shown that IAN/GIMAP family proteins crucially regulate the survival of T cells during development, selection and homeostasis, and are possibly linked to the onset of T-lymphopenia, leukemia and autoimmunity. IAN/GIMAP family proteins might also take part in mitochondrial regulation of lymphocyte apoptosis by interacting with Bcl-2 family proteins.
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nitta
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002470:Cell Survival; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins