Tumor necrosis factor: receptor binding and mitogenic action in fibroblasts

Until about two years ago, the only known function of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was inhibition of tumor growth. Since then it has become apparent that many types of normal and transformed cells express specific high-affinity TNF receptors (Kd 200 pM) and that the presence of receptors does not correlate with susceptibility to the cytotoxic/cytostatic action of TNF. Recent evidence shows that TNF exerts a variety of other important biological activities on cells in culture and in the intact organism. Among the newly recognized activities is a potent mitogenic effect in fibroblasts. Many of the activities of TNF overlap the actions of interleukin-1 (IL-1).