Authors: Planelles, Lourdes; Medema, Jan P.; Hahne, Michael; Hardenberg, Gijs

Source: Current Molecular Medicine, Volume 8, Number 8, December 2008 , pp. 829-844(16)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Proteins of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) family are implicated in the regulation of essential cell processes such as proliferation, differentiation, survival and cell death. Altered expression of TNF family members is often associated with pathological conditions such as autoimmune disease and cancer. The TNF-like ligand APRIL (A PRoliferation Inducing Ligand), first described in 1998, was named for its capacity to stimulate tumour cell proliferation in vitro. APRIL expression was initially reported in haematopoietic cells in physiological conditions, and it is overexpressed in certain tumour tissues.

APRIL is now known to be involved in activation and immune responses of B cells, as well as in B cell malignancies. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding APRIL and its receptors in physiology and tumour pathology, including the accumulating evidence that specific Toll-like receptor ligands can trigger APRIL-mediated responses, and the identification of new sources of APRIL such as epithelial cells and tumour- infiltrating neutrophils.

Keywords: APRIL; BLyS; BAFF; immunity; B-cell malignancies; tumours; lymphoma

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156652408786733711

Publication date: 2008-12-01

More about this publication?

• Current Molecular Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal focused on providing the readership with current and comprehensive reviews on fundamental molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, the development of molecular-diagnosis and/or novel approaches to rational treatment. The reviews should be of significant interest to basic researchers and clinical investigators in molecular medicine. Periodically the journal will invite guest editors to devote an issue on a basic research area that shows promise to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) of a disease or has potential for clinical applications.

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