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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Myeloid Innate Signaling Pathway Regulation by MALT1 Paracaspase Activity
Published on: January 7, 2019
Immune modulation by butyrophilins
Heather A Arnett1, Joanne L Viney2
1Department of Inflammation, Amgen, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Abstract:
The B7 family of co-stimulatory molecules has an important role in driving the activation and inhibition of immune cells. Evolving data have shown that a related family of molecules - the butyrophilins - have similar immunomodulatory functions to B7 family members and may represent a novel subset of co-stimulatory molecules. These studies have taken the field by surprise, as the butyrophilins were previously thought to only be important in lactation and milk production. In this Review, we describe the expression patterns of the various members of the butyrophilin family and explore their immunomodulatory functions. In particular, we emphasize the contribution of butyrophilins to immune homeostasis and discuss the potential of targeting these molecules for therapeutic purposes.
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