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Description

N-terminal GST-tagged, recombinant human Smurf1 full length, expressed in E coli., IkappaBalpha is a cellular protein that inhibits the transcription factor NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB plays a central role in cellular stress and inflammatory responses by controlling cytokine-inducible gene expression and lymphocyte stimulation by antigens. In non-stimulated cells NF-kappaB is sequestered in the cytoplasm via the inhibitory protein IkappaBalpha, which obscures the nuclear localization signal of NF-kappaB and also blocks its ability to bind DNA. In response to various stimuli, including viral infection, ultraviolet radiation and inflammatory cytokines, IkappaBalpha is phosphorylated by the protein kinase complex IKK, which triggers its rapid degradation by ubiquitin mediated proteolysis. The liberated NF-kappaB then translocates to the nucleus and activates the expression of target genes. Mutations in the gene for IkappaBalpha result in the functional impairment of NF-kappaB which causes a decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines and certain interferons, rendering patients susceptible to infection.