Figure 5From: Rel/Nuclear factor-kappa B apoptosis pathways in human cervical cancer cellsIllustration of the Rel/NF-κB pathway. In response to stimuli such as tumour-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), CD40 ligand (CD40L), interleukin-1 (IL-1) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the IKKβ subunit is activated, and phosphorylates the IκB proteins (bound to the NF-κB heterodimers) at two conserved serines. This phosphorylation event triggers the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of IκB by the 26S proteasome, resulting in the nuclear translocation of RelA – p50 (or c-Rel – p50) heterodimers and transcriptional activation of target genes [48].Back to article page