Review Article

Tumour Necrosis Factor Superfamily Members in the Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Table 1

Overview of the expression and function of the major members of TNSF superfamily in IBD.

TNFSF member and its expressionReceptors and their expressionRole in IBD pathogenesisReferences

TNF—macrophages, NK cells, T cells, and B cells(i) TNFR1—intestinal epithelial cells
(ii) TNFR2—intestinal epithelial cells
Disruption of intestinal epithelium integrity by induction of adhesion proteins rearrangement and induction of intestinal cells apoptosis[20, 43, 44]

TL1A—antigen-presenting cells and T cells(i) DR3—T cells, NK cells, NKT cells, and regulatory T cells
(ii) DcR3 (decoy)—activated T cells
Promotion of proinflammatory activity of T cells and inhibition of suppressive activity of regulatory T cells[45, 46]

FasL—T cells, NK cells, monocytes, and Paneth cells(i) Fas—intestinal epithelial cells and T cells
(ii) DcR3 (decoy)—activated T cells
Possible disruption of intestinal epithelium integrity by induction of epithelial cells apoptosis. Possible involvement in accumulation of proinflammatory T cells in intestinal lamina propria[20, 47, 48]

LIGHT—T cells, monocytes, granulocytes, and dendritic cells(i) HVEM—T cells, B cells, and monocytes
(ii) LT R—nonlymphoid hematopoietic cells and stromal cells
(iii) DcR3 (decoy)—activated T cells
Possible promotion of proinflammatory activity of Th1 cells[20, 49]

TRAIL—intestinal epithelium, T cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells(i) TRAIL-R1—almost all cell types
(ii) TRAIL-R2—almost all cell types
(iii) TRAIL-R3 (decoy)—almost all cell types
(iv) TRAIL-R4 (decoy)—almost all cell types
(v) OPG (decoy)—osteoclasts’ precursors, endothelial cells, and other cell types
Disruption of intestinal epithelium integrity by induction of epithelial cells apoptosis. Possible contribution to development of fistulas and strictures in CD patients[20, 38, 50]

TWEAK—T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cellsFn14—intestinal mucosa and fibroblastsPossible upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and infiltration of lamina propria by inflammatory cells. Induction of intestinal cells apoptosis in cooperation with IL-13[20, 39, 51]