Symbol LTA Entrez 4049 OMIM 153440 | Alt. symbols TNFB HUGO 6709 RefSeq NM_000595 | |
Lymphotoxin (previously known as tumor necrosis factor-beta) is a lymphokine cytokine.
It is a protein that is produced by Th1 type T-cells and induces vascular endothelial cells to change their surface adhesion molecules to allow phagocytic cells to bind to them. It is also known to be required for normal development of Peyer's patches.
Lymphotoxin is homologous to Tumor Necrosis Factor beta, but secreted by T-cells. It is paracrine due to the small amounts produced. The effects are similar to TNF-alpha, but TNF-beta is also important for the development of lymphoid organs.
References
Lymphotoxin Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA