Uses
Lipopolysaccharide is a potent stimulator of monocytes and macrophages, causing secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and other inflammatory mediators. This gene encodes lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha factor, which is a DNA-binding protein and can mediate the TNF-alpha expression by direct binding to the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene. The transcription of this gene is induced by tumor suppressor p53 and has been implicated in the p53-induced apoptotic pathway. Mutations in this gene cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1C (CMT1C) and may be involved in the carcinogenesis of extramammary Paget′s disease (EMPD). Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene.
Biological Activity
LITAF (Lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF factor) is a widely expressed integral membrane protein of lysosome/late endosome. It activates monocytes and macrophages, which further accelerates the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) secretion and other inflammatory mediators. It is localized in the intraluminal vesicles of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and inside exosomes. It is involved in the generation of exosomes through modulating the MVBs formation. Mutation in LITAF causes a rare neurological autosomal-dominant demyelination disorder in CMT1C (Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1C).
