Neutral Sphingomyelinase Activation Associated Factor (NSMAF)

Cellular responses to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are initiated by the interaction of TNF with 2 distinct cell surface receptors that transmit signals to the cytoplasm and nucleus, leading to profound alterations in transcriptional programs. The initiation of intracellular signaling events through 1 of these receptors, the 55-kD tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1), appears to depend on protein intermediates that interact with specific cytoplasmic domains of TNFR1.NSMAF encodes a WD-repeat protein that binds the cytoplasmic sphingomyelinase activation domain of the 55kD tumor necrosis factor receptor. This protein is required for TNF-mediated activation of neutral sphingomyelinase and may play a role in regulating TNF-induced cellular responses such as inflammation. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.