Role of NF-kappaB in the control of apoptotic and proliferative responses in IL-2-responsive T cells

The NF-kappaB/Rel/IkappaB family of transcription factors regulates a number of genes involved in a wide variety of biological processes. The activation of p53, c-myc and Ras genes suggests a role for NF-kappaB in cell proliferation; NF-kappaB is also important in immune and inflammatory responses. By virtue of its role in apoptosis, NF-kappaB participates in the thymus as well as in embryonic development. The NF-kappaB family of transcription factors is also involved in viral transcription, transformation and in the development of some types of human cancers. Given the pivotal role of NF-kappaB, clarification is needed of the mechanisms through which its deregulation contributes to disease. Several aspects of NF-kappaB regulation, such as phosphatase involvement, the mechanism of IkappaB ubiquitination and the regulation of nuclear translocation, remain obscure. Here, we review and discuss the function of NF-kappaB activation in IL-2-stimulation and in apoptosis induced by IL-2 deprivation in T cells.