BAFF-R (CT) Blocking Peptide

BAFF receptor (BAFFR) is a type III transmembrane protein and member of the TNF receptor (TNFR) super family. It is highly expressed in spleen, lymph node, B-cells and peripheral blood leukocytes. BAFFR plays a role in nearly all stages of differentiation of B-cells from development to the maintenance of long-lived bone marrow plasma cells. BAFFR signals by activation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. Overexpression of the BAFFR ligand, BAFF, in mice leads to autoimmune characteristics similar to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren’s syndrome. Furthermore, high levels of BAFF have been detected in the serum of humans with SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome and systemic sclerosis. Inhibition of BAFFR signaling with BAFFR-Ig has been successful in treating SLE and rheumatoid arthritis in mouse models. In addition misexpression of BAFFR brought about by retroviral integration has lead to leukemia in some strains of mice. This makes BAFFR an obvious candidate for further therapeutic investigation. Recombinant human BAFFR has a molecular weight of 7.7 kDa and contains 76 amino acid residues corresponding to the extracellular portion of the full native BAFFR.