NF-κB can be found in almost all animal cells. NF-κB is crucial for cell growth since it can control cytokine production, DNA transcription, as well as cell survival. NF-κB can also respond to stress, free radicals, and UV irradiation. It can also respond to bacterial and viral antigens; therefore, it plays an important role in the immune response of infections. Various diseases such as cancer and immune diseases (and more) can be related to the incorrect regulation of the NF-κB complex. The activation of NF-κB involves two major signalling pathways: the canonical pathways, which responds to diverse stimuli such as ligands of various cytokine receptors, pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), and the noncanonical (or alternative) pathway, which selectively responds to a specific group of stimuli, such as groups of ligands of a subset of TNFR superfamily members (e.g. LTβR, BAFFR, CD40 and RANK). Both pathways are important for regulating immune and inflammatory responses despite their differences in signalling mechanism.

NF-kB Signaling Pathway References