Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Induced Protein 8 Like Protein 2 (TNFaIP8L2)

Sun et al. (2008) cloned mouse Tnfaip8l2, which they called Tipe2, and by database analysis, they identified human TNFAIP8L2. The deduced 184-amino acid human protein shares 94% identity with mouse Tnfaip8l2, shares 53% identity with human TNFAIP8 , and contains a death effector domain (DED) and 6 putative alpha-helices characteristic of DED-containing proteins. Northern blot analysis detected strong expression in mouse thymus, spleen, lymph node, and small intestine, with weak expression in lung, skin, and colon. Tnfaip8l2 was also expressed in murine lymphoid cells and cell lines, in inflamed mouse spinal cord, and in TNF-alpha-stimulated mouse fibroblasts, suggesting that Tnfaip8l2 is preferentially expressed in lymphoid tissue.