Role of T cell–nuclear factor κB in transplantation

Nuclear factor (NF) κB is a pleiotropic transcription factor that is ubiquitously expressed. After transplantation of solid organs, NF-κB in the graft is activated within a few hours as a consequence of ischemia/reperfusion and then again after a few days in intragraft infiltrating cells during the process of acute allograft rejection. In the present article, we review the components of the NF-κB pathway, their mechanisms of activation, and their role in T cell and antigen-presenting cell activation and differentiation and in solid organ allograft rejection. Targeted inhibition of NF-κB in selected cell types may promote graft survival with fewer adverse effects compared with global immunosuppressive therapies.