What is IKK signaling?

Abstract. IκB kinase/NF-κB (IKK/NF-κB) signaling pathways play critical roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. One function of NF-κB is promotion of cell survival through induction of target genes, whose products inhibit components of the apoptotic machinery in normal and cancerous cells.

What is IKK in biology?

The IκB kinase (IkappaB kinase or IKK) is an enzyme complex that is involved in propagating the cellular response to inflammation. Specifically, IKK phosphorylates the inhibitory IκBα protein. This phosphorylation results in the dissociation of IκBα from NF-κB.

How is IKK activated?

Activation of IKK depends on phosphorylation of its IKKβ subunit (Delhase et al., 1999). The first evidence of a role for phosphorylation in IKK activation was obtained by treatment of purified, activated IKK complex with protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), which resulted in IKK inactivation (DiDonato et al., 1997).

What does the NFKB pathway do?

A well-recognized function of NF-κB is regulation of inflammatory responses. In addition to mediating induction of various pro-inflammatory genes in innate immune cells, NF-κB regulates the activation, differentiation and effector function of inflammatory T cells.

How does Nfkb cause apoptosis?

In a number of contexts, and particularly in response to cellular stress, stimulation of the NF-kappaB (NF-κB) pathway promotes apoptosis. One mechanism underlying this pro-apoptotic activity is nucleolar sequestration of RelA, which is reported to cause cell death by repressing NF-κB-driven transcription.

How NF-ΚB is activated the role of the IΚB kinase IKK complex?

Thus, in most cells NF-κB exists in the cytoplasm in an inactive complex bound to IκB. The key regulatory step in this pathway involves activation of a high molecular weight IκB kinase (IKK) complex, whose catalysis is generally carried out by a heterodimeric kinase consisting of IKKα and IKKβ subunits.

What activates the NF-kB pathway?

Activation of the NF-κB is initiated by the signal-induced degradation of IκB proteins. This occurs primarily via activation of a kinase called the IκB kinase (IKK).