Yates Laura L, Górecki Dariusz C
Molecular Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UK.
Acta Biochim Pol. 2006;53(4):651-62. Epub 2006 Oct 27.
The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factors regulate a plethora of cellular pathways and processes including the immune response, inflammation, proliferation, apoptosis and calcium homeostasis. In addition to the complexity of its physiological roles, the composition and function of this family of proteins is very complicated. While the basic understanding of NF-kappaB signalling is extensive, relatively little is know of the in vivo dynamics of this pathway or what controls the balance between various outcomes. Although we know a large number of NF-kappaB-responsive genes, the contribution of these genes to a specific response is not always clear. Finally, the involvement of NF-kappaB in pathological processes is only now beginning to be unravelled. In addition to cancer and immunodeficiency disorders, altered regulation of NF-kappaB has been associated with several inherited diseases. These findings indicate that modulation of the NF-kappaB pathways may be beneficial. However, our limited knowledge of NF-kappaB signalling hinders therapeutic approaches: in many situations it is not clear whether the enhancement or inhibition of NF-kappaB activity would be beneficial or which pathways to interfere with and what the required level of activation is. Further studies of the role of NF-kappaB are needed as these may result in novel therapeutic strategies for a wide variety of diseases.
核因子-κB（NF-κB）转录因子调控众多细胞途径和过程，包括免疫反应、炎症、增殖、凋亡和钙稳态。除了其生理作用的复杂性外，该蛋白家族的组成和功能也非常复杂。虽然对NF-κB信号传导的基本理解较为广泛，但对该途径在体内的动态变化或控制各种结果之间平衡的因素了解相对较少。尽管我们知道大量NF-κB反应性基因，但这些基因对特定反应的贡献并不总是清楚的。最后，NF-κB在病理过程中的参与直到现在才开始被揭示。除了癌症和免疫缺陷疾病外，NF-κB调节的改变还与几种遗传性疾病有关。这些发现表明，调节NF-κB途径可能是有益的。然而，我们对NF-κB信号传导的有限了解阻碍了治疗方法的发展：在许多情况下，不清楚增强或抑制NF-κB活性是否有益，也不清楚干扰哪些途径以及所需的激活水平是多少。需要进一步研究NF-κB的作用，因为这些研究可能会为多种疾病带来新的治疗策略。
