title: Macrophage-migration inhibitory factor: role in inflammatory diseases and graft rejection.
abstract: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) functions as a pleiotropic protein, participating in inflammatory and immune responses. MIF was originally discovered as a lymphokine involved in delayed hypersensitivity and various macrophage functions, including production of proinflammatory cytokines, glucocorticoid-induced immunomodulator, and natural killer cell inhibitory factor (NKIF), regulation of toll-like receptor expression, adherence and phagocytosis of macrophages, as well as induction of metalloproteinase. Therefore MIF is considered as a potential target protein in many pathophysiological states. In this review, considering the protein structure and the acting mechanisms of MIF, we mainly discuss the important role of MIF in pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and graft rejection.
authors.affiliation: Transplantation Biology Research Division, State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Javeed
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D007249:Inflammation; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D014180:Transplantation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors