title: Intracellular and extracellular cytokine-like functions of prothymosin α: implications for the development of immunotherapies.
abstract: Prothymosin α (ProTα) is a 12.5-kDa, highly acidic protein widely distributed in different cell types expressed intracellularly and extracellularly. ProTα does not contain a secretion-signal sequence and is released by a nonclassical secretory pathway with a cargo protein. New findings on the extracellular function of ProTα have yielded exciting insights into the cytokine-like functions of this host protein that stimulates type I interferon via Toll-like receptor 4. Here, we discuss the intracellular function of ProTα, how new findings of cytokine-like activities of ProTα aid our understanding of mechanisms that direct ProTα functions, and the potential application of these new insights to the development of immunotherapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. arevik.mosoian@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Arevik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosoian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007162:Immunoproteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007162:Immunoproteins; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011506:Proteins; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; C040782:prothymosin alpha; D013947:Thymosin