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Review
. 2009 Sep;1(3):a001271.
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a001271.

NF-kappaB in the nervous system

Barbara Kaltschmidt  1 , Christian Kaltschmidt
Affiliations
Review

NF-kappaB in the nervous system

Barbara Kaltschmidt et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2009 Sep.

Erratum in

  • Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2010 Jan;2(1):a001271

Abstract

The transcription factor NF-kappaB has diverse functions in the nervous system, depending on the cellular context. NF-kappaB is constitutively activated in glutamatergic neurons. Knockout of p65 or inhibition of neuronal NF-kappaB by super-repressor IkappaB resulted in the loss of neuroprotection and defects in learning and memory. Similarly, p50-/- mice have a lower learning ability and are sensitive to neurotoxins. Activated NF-kappaB can be transported retrogradely from activated synapses to the nucleus to translate short-term processes to long-term changes such as axon growth, which is important for long-term memory. In glia, NF-kappaB is inducible and regulates inflammatory processes that exacerbate diseases such as autoimmune encephalomyelitis, ischemia, and Alzheimer's disease. In summary, inhibition of NF-kappaB in glia might ameliorate disease, whereas activation in neurons might enhance memory. This review focuses on results produced by the analysis of genetic models.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The role of NF-κB within the cellular context of the nervous system. Constitutively activated NF-κB is detected mostly in glutamatergic neurons (green nuclei), whereas NF-κB in glia has a lower basal activity and is heavily inducible (red nuclei). For details, see text.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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