The Rel/NF-kappa B family: friend and foe

The members of the Rel/NF-kappa B family of transcription factors form one of the first lines of defense against infectious diseases and cellular stre ss. These proteins initiate a highly coordinated response in multiple cell types that effectively counteracts the threat to the health of the organism , Conversely, disruption of the regulatory mechanisms that control the spec ificity and extent of this response, which results in aberrant activation o f NF-kappa B, can be one of the primary causes of a wide range of human dis eases. Thus, targeting NF-kappa B might lead to the development of new phar maceutical reagents that could provide novel treatments for many inflammato ry diseases and cancer.