Synonyms: |
DIF, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, RATTNF, Tnfa, tnf, TNF-a, TNFalpha, Tnfsf1a, TNFa, cTNF, Tnf-alpha, tnfa-like, TNF-ALPHA, dif, tnfa, xtnf, tnfsf2, tnf-alpha, Cachectin, tumor necrosis factor, tumor necrosis factor b (TNF superfamily, member 2), tumor necrosis factor alpha, tumor necrosis factor a (TNF superfamily, member 2), TNF, Tnf, tnf, tnfb, tnf-alpha, LOC103694380, tnfa. |
Background: |
TNF-alpha is released by macrophages as a response to inflammation, infection, and cancer. Both human TNF and Lymphotoxin (TNF-beta) are cytotoxic proteins with similar functions and a 30% amino acid similarity. Monocytes produce TNF-alpha, which prompts endothelial cells to generate the multilineage growth factor granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, expanding the regulatory role of this immunoregulatory protein to include hematopoiesis in laboratory settings. TNF, a soluble protein, selectively damages tumor cells without affecting normal ones. Human TNF has been isolated as a 17.3-kilodalton protein from HL-60 leukemia cells, exhibiting cytotoxic and cytostatic effects on various human tumor cell lines. The human TNF cDNA spans 1585 base pairs, encoding a 233-amino acid protein. Its mature form initiates at residue 77, preceded by a lengthy leader sequence of 76 amino acids. TNF-alpha is genetically mapped to human chromosome 6. |