Activation of Nuclear Factor-B (NF-B) in Mononuclear Cells (MNC)

The transcription factor NF-κB was first identified as a regulator of the expression of the kappa light-chain gene in murine B lymphocytes (1 ). It has a central role in the immunological processes and regulates a wide range of genes in a rapid fashion (2 ). NF-κB interacts with its inhibitor protein IκB and activation of NF-κB causes it to move into the nucleus and this is controlled by the phosphorylation and subsequent degredation of IκB (3 ,4 ). The activated form of NF-κB is a heterodimer, which usually consists of two proteins, a p65 (relA) subunit and a p50 subunit. Other subunits (rel, relB, v-rel, and p52) can also bind to the activated NF-κB and thus can activate different sets of genes.