TAK1: a potent tumour necrosis factor inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Aberrant tumour necrosis factor (TNF) signalling is a hallmark of many inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), irritable bowel disease and lupus. Maladaptive TNF signalling can lead to hyper active downstream nuclear factor (NF)-kappa beta signalling in turn amplifying a cell's inflammatory response and exacerbating disease. Within the TNF intracellular inflammatory signalling cascade, transforming growth factor-beta -activated kinase 1 (TAK1) has been shown to play a critical role in mediating signal transduction and downstream NF-kappa beta activation. Owing to its role in TNF inflammatory signalling, TAK1 has become a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as RA. This review highlights the current development of targeting the TNF-TAK1 signalling axis as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.