Human TNFSF13B/BAFF/CD257 Prot

BAFF is a cytokine that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family. This cytokine is a ligand for receptors TNFRSF13B/TACI, TNFRSF17/BCMA, and TNFRSF13C/BAFF-R. This cytokine is expressed in B cell lineage cells, and acts as a potent B cell activator. It has been also shown to play an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of B cells. As an immunostimulant, BAFF is necessary for maintaining normal immunity. Inadequate level of BAFF will fail to activate B cells to produce enough immunoglobulin and will lead to immunodeficiency. Excessive level of BAFF causes abnormally high antibody production, results in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and many other autoimmune diseases. Overexpression of BAFF also correlates with enhanced humoral immunity against malaria infection.