@article{MedlerKuckaWajant2022,
  author    = {Medler, Juliane and Kucka, Kirstin and Wajant, Harald},
  title     = {Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2): an emerging target in cancer therapy},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {11},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers14112603},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275143},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Despite the great success of TNF blockers in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and the identification of TNF as a factor that influences the development of tumors in many ways, the role of TNFR2 in tumor biology and its potential suitability as a therapeutic target in cancer therapy have long been underestimated. This has been fundamentally changed with the identification of TNFR2 as a regulatory T-cell (Treg)-stimulating factor and the general clinical breakthrough of immunotherapeutic approaches. However, considering TNFR2 as a sole immunosuppressive factor in the tumor microenvironment does not go far enough. TNFR2 can also co-stimulate CD8\(^+\) T-cells, sensitize some immune and tumor cells to the cytotoxic effects of TNFR1 and/or acts as an oncogene. In view of the wide range of cancer-associated TNFR2 activities, it is not surprising that both antagonists and agonists of TNFR2 are considered for tumor therapy and have indeed shown overwhelming anti-tumor activity in preclinical studies. Based on a brief summary of TNFR2 signaling and the immunoregulatory functions of TNFR2, we discuss here the main preclinical findings and insights gained with TNFR2 agonists and antagonists. In particular, we address the question of which TNFR2-associated molecular and cellular mechanisms underlie the observed anti-tumoral activities of TNFR2 agonists and antagonists.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KuckaWajant2021,
  author    = {Kucka, Kirstin and Wajant, Harald},
  title     = {Receptor Oligomerization and Its Relevance for Signaling by Receptors of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily},
  series = {Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology},
  issn      = {2296-634X},
  doi       = {10.3389/fcell.2020.615141},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227180},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {With the exception of a few signaling incompetent decoy receptors, the receptors of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) are signaling competent and engage in signaling pathways resulting in inflammation, proliferation, differentiation, and cell migration and also in cell death induction. TNFRSF receptors (TNFRs) become activated by ligands of the TNF superfamily (TNFSF). TNFSF ligands (TNFLs) occur as trimeric type II transmembrane proteins but often also as soluble ligand trimers released from the membrane-bound form by proteolysis. The signaling competent TNFRs are efficiently activated by the membrane-bound TNFLs. The latter recruit three TNFR molecules, but there is growing evidence that this is not sufficient to trigger all aspects of TNFR signaling; rather, the formed trimeric TNFL-TNFR complexes have to cluster secondarily in the cell-to-cell contact zone for full TNFR activation. With respect to their response to soluble ligand trimers, the signaling competent TNFRs can be subdivided into two groups. TNFRs of one group, designated as category I TNFRs, are robustly activated by soluble ligand trimers. The receptors of a second group (category II TNFRs), however, failed to become properly activated by soluble ligand trimers despite high affinity binding. The limited responsiveness of category II TNFRs to soluble TNFLs can be overcome by physical linkage of two or more soluble ligand trimers or, alternatively, by anchoring the soluble ligand molecules to the cell surface or extracellular matrix. This suggests that category II TNFRs have a limited ability to promote clustering of trimeric TNFL-TNFR complexes outside the context of cell-cell contacts. In this review, we will focus on three aspects on the relevance of receptor oligomerization for TNFR signaling: (i) the structural factors which promote clustering of free and liganded TNFRs, (ii) the signaling pathway specificity of the receptor oligomerization requirement, and (iii) the consequences for the design and development of TNFR agonists.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KuckaLangZhangetal.2021,
  author    = {Kucka, Kirstin and Lang, Isabell and Zhang, Tengyu and Siegmund, Daniela and Medler, Juliane and Wajant, Harald},
  title     = {Membrane lymphotoxin-α\(_2\)β is a novel tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor 2 (TNFR2) agonist},
  series = {Cell Death \& Disease},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Cell Death \& Disease},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41419-021-03633-8},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260077},
  pages     = {360},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {In the early 1990s, it has been described that LTα and LTβ form LTα\(_2\)β and LTαβ\(_2\) heterotrimers, which bind to TNFR1 and LTβR, respectively. Afterwards, the LTαβ\(_2\)-LTβR system has been intensively studied while the LTα\(_2\)β-TNFR1 interaction has been ignored to date, presumably due to the fact that at the time of identification of the LTα\(_2\)β-TNFR1 interaction one knew already two ligands for TNFR1, namely TNF and LTα. Here, we show that LTα\(_2\)β interacts not only with TNFR1 but also with TNFR2. We furthermore demonstrate that membrane-bound LTα\(_2\)β (memLTα\(_2\)β), despite its asymmetric structure, stimulates TNFR1 and TNFR2 signaling. Not surprising in view of its ability to interact with TNFR2, LTα\(_2\)β is inhibited by Etanercept, which is approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and also inhibits TNF and LTα.},
  language  = {en}
}