Zhou Tong, Mountz John D, Kimberly Robert P
Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.
Immunol Res. 2002;26(1-3):323-36. doi: 10.1385/IR:26:1-3:323.
The proteins of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily are a group of cell-surface receptors critically involved in the maintenance of homeostasis of the immune system. By interacting with their corresponding ligands, these receptors either induce cell death or promote cell survival of immune cells. The number of recognized members of the TNF receptor and ligand superfamily has expanded substantially in the last several years. More important, the biologic function of this group of proteins has been closely associated with the regulation of the immune response and the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. Thus, the direct targeting of these receptors by either inducing apoptosis or blocking survival of autoimmune T and B cells may be an important therapeutic strategy in the treatment of autoimmune disease. This review summarizes the recent progress in immunobiology of the TNF receptor superfamily and focuses on our studies of three critical family members-FasL/Fas, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)/TRAIL-Rs, and B lymphocyte stimulator(BLyS)/BLyS-Rs--to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of targeting these receptors for the treatment of autoimmune disease.
肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）受体超家族的蛋白质是一组细胞表面受体，在维持免疫系统的稳态中起关键作用。通过与它们相应的配体相互作用，这些受体要么诱导免疫细胞死亡，要么促进其存活。在过去几年中，TNF受体和配体超家族中已被认可的成员数量大幅增加。更重要的是，这组蛋白质的生物学功能与免疫反应的调节及自身免疫性疾病的发病机制密切相关。因此，通过诱导自身免疫性T细胞和B细胞凋亡或阻断其存活来直接靶向这些受体，可能是治疗自身免疫性疾病的一种重要治疗策略。本综述总结了TNF受体超家族免疫生物学的最新进展，并重点介绍了我们对三个关键家族成员——FasL/Fas、肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体（TRAIL）/TRAIL受体以及B淋巴细胞刺激因子（BLyS）/BLyS受体——的研究，以证明靶向这些受体治疗自身免疫性疾病的潜在疗效。
