Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

10:57
NF-κB-dependent Luciferase Activation and Quantification of Gene Expression in Salmonella Infected Tissue Culture Cells
Published on: January 12, 2020
Structural studies of NF-κB signaling
1Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Cell Research
|December 8, 2010
Summary
This review details structural insights into the Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, explaining gene activation, inhibition by IκBs, and regulation by signaling molecules and feedback loops.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cellular Signaling
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factors regulate critical cellular functions like immune responses, proliferation, and apoptosis.
- NF-κB activity is precisely controlled by upstream signals and downstream feedback mechanisms.
- Understanding these regulatory processes is key to comprehending cellular homeostasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present structural discoveries within the NF-κB signaling pathway.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of NF-κB target gene activation.
- To explain the inhibitory role of IκBs and the regulatory functions of upstream signaling and feedback loops.
Main Methods:
- This study is a review, synthesizing existing structural information.
- Analysis of structural data related to NF-κB components and their interactions.
- Integration of structural findings with functional aspects of the NF-κB pathway.
Main Results:
- Structural insights provide a basis for understanding how NF-κBs activate target genes.
- The structures explain the inhibitory mechanism of Inhibitors of kappa B (IκBs) on NF-κB.
- Structural information aids in understanding the activation by upstream signals and the shutdown by feedback loops.
Conclusions:
- Structural biology is crucial for deciphering the intricacies of the NF-κB pathway.
- Understanding these structures helps address fundamental questions in cellular regulation.
- This knowledge can inform research on diseases associated with dysregulated NF-κB signaling.
Related Concept Videos
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
NF-kB-dependent Signaling Pathway
The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Co-activators and Co-repressors
Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
MAPK Signaling Cascades
Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Several cytokine receptors have tightly bound Janus kinase or JAK proteins attached at their cytosolic tail. Small signaling molecules such as cytokines, growth hormones, or prolactins bind to the cytokine receptors and initiate their dimerization. The dimerization brings the cytosolic JAKs together that trans-phosphorylate and activates each other. The activated JAKs now phosphorylate cytosolic tails of the cytokine receptors, which serve as binding sites for adaptor proteins such as SH2...

