Description

Genorise Recombinant Sheep TNFa Protein Summary

Alternative names for TNFa: tumor necrosis factor alpha

Alternative name for sheep: ovine, lamb, goat

Product Specifications

Background: 

TNF-α, the prototypical member of the TNF protein superfamily, is a homotrimeric type-II membrane protein (1, 2). Membrane bound TNF-α is cleaved by the metalloprotease TACE/ADAM17 to generate a soluble homotrimer (2). Both membrane and soluble forms of TNF-α are biologically active. TNF-α is produced primarily by macrophages, but it is produced also by a broad variety of cell types including lymphoid cells, mast cells, endothelial cells, cardiac myocytes, adipose tissue, fibroblasts, and neuronal tissue (1). Cellular response to TNF-α is mediated through interaction with receptors TNF-R1 and TNF-R2 and results in activation of pathways that favor both cell survival and apoptosis depending on the cell type and biological context. Activation of kinase pathways (including JNK, ERK (p44/42), p38 MAPK and NF-κB) promotes the survival of cells, while TNF-α mediated activation of caspase-8 leads to programmed cell death (1,2). TNF-α plays a key regulatory role in inflammation and host defense against bacterial infection, notably Mycobacterium tuberculosis (3). TNF-α causes many of the clinical problems associated with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa and refractory asthma. The role of TNF-α in autoimmunity is underscored by blocking TNF-α action to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease (1, 2, 4).

References

1. Aggarwal, B.B. (2003) Nat Rev Immunol 3, 745-56.
2. Hehlgans, T. and Pfeffer, K. (2005) Immunology 115, 1-20.
3. Lin, P.L. et al. (2007) J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc 12, 22-5.
4. Brennan, F.M. and McInnes, I.B. (2008) J Clin Invest 118, 3537-45.

Product Citations