The TNF-receptor-associated factor family - Scaffold molecules for cytokine receptors, kinases and their regulators

The TNF-receptor-associated factor (TRAF) family is a phylogenetically cons erved group of scaffold proteins that link receptors of the IL-1R/Toll and TNF receptor family to signalling cascades, leading to the activation of NF -kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinases. Furthermore, TRAF proteins s erve as a docking platform for a variety of regulators of these signalling pathways and are themselves often regulated at the transcriptional and post translational level. In this review, we address the structural and molecula r basis of TRAF protein functions and highlight their role in cytokine sign alling. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.