抄録
Apoptosis of cells must be managed both positively and negatively in response to various environmental stresses via differential signal transduction cascades. Recently, an apoptosis inhibitor expressed by macrophages (AIM) was presented as a novel murine soluble protein. AIM is a member of the macrophage scavenger receptor, cysteine-rich domain superfamily (SRCR-SF), which shares a highly homologous-conserved, cysteine-rich domain. AIM inhibits the apoptosis of CD4+CD8+ (CD4/CD8) double-positive (DP) thymocytes, and supports the viability of these cells in T cell development in the thymus. In inflammatory sites outside the thymus, AIM appears to enhance macrophage phagocytosis, inhibit B cell proliferation in combination with transforming growth factor-β and inhibit apoptosis of natural killer T (NKT) and natural killer (NK) cells. AIM thus has diverse functions that depend on the type of target cell and its combination with other cytokines.
