Tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 13 (TNFSF13) also known as a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the TNFSF13 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

. TNFSF13 has also been designated CD256 (cluster of differentiation

Cluster of differentiation

The cluster of differentiation is a protocol used for the identification and investigation of cell surface molecules present on white blood cells, providing targets for immunophenotyping of cells...

 256).

Function

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the tumor necrosis factor

Tumor necrosis factors

Tumor necrosis factors refers to a group of cytokines family that can cause cell death . The first two members of the family to be identified were:...

 ligand (TNF) ligand family. This protein is a ligand for TNFRSF17

TNFRSF17

-Interactions:TNFRSF17 has been shown to interact with the B-cell activating factor TNFSF13B. A conserved domain at the N-terminus, BCMA TALL-1 binding domain, is required for binding to the TNFSF13B.-Further reading:...

/BCMA, a member of the TNF receptor family. This protein and its receptor are both found to be important for B cell

B cell

B cells are lymphocytes that play a large role in the humoral immune response . The principal functions of B cells are to make antibodies against antigens, perform the role of antigen-presenting cells and eventually develop into memory B cells after activation by antigen interaction...

 development. In vivo experiments suggest an important role for APRIL in the long-term survival of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Mice deficient in April showed a reduced ability to support plasma cell survival In vitro experiments suggested that this protein may be able to induce apoptosis

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

 through its interaction with other TNF receptor family proteins such as TNFRSF6

Fas receptor

The FAS receptor also known as apoptosis antigen 1 , cluster of differentiation 95 or tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TNFRSF6 gene....

/FAS and TNFRSF14

TNFRSF14

Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 14 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TNFRSF14 gene. It is also known as "herpesvirus entry mediator" .-Interactions:...

/HVEM. Three alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene encoding distinct isoforms have been reported.

Interactions

TNFSF13 has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with TNFRSF13B

TNFRSF13B

Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 13B, also known as TNFRSF13B or more commonly as TACI, is a transmembrane receptor protein found predominantly on the surface of B cells, which are an important part of the immune system....

 and B-cell activating factor

B-cell activating factor

B-cell activating factor also known as tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 13B is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TNFLSF13B gene...

.