Tumor necrosis factor(alpha) and insulin-like growth factor-I in the brain: is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

• Published in: Journal of neuroimmunology Vol. 119; no. 2; pp. 151 - 165
• Main Authors: Venters, H D, Broussard, S R, Zhou, J H, Bluthé, R M, Freund, G G, Johnson, R W, Dantzer, R, Kelley, K W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01-10-2001
• Subjects: Animals; Brain - immunology; Brain Diseases - immunology; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - immunology; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - immunology
• ISSN: 0165-5728

The cytokine tumor necrosis factor(alpha) (TNFalpha) and the hormone insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) have both been shown to regulate inflammatory events in the central nervous system (CNS). This review summarizes the seemingly independent roles of TNFalpha and IGF-I in promoting and inhibiting neurodegenerative diseases. We then offer evidence that the combined effects of IGF-I and TNFalpha on neuronal survival can be vastly different when both receptors are stimulated simultaneously, as is likely to occur in vivo. We propose the framework of a molecular model of hormone-cytokine receptor cross talk in which disparate cell surface receptors share intracellular substrates that regulate neuronal survival.