Abstract

Many exogenous sources of stress can lead to cell death. In recent years, endogenous cellular sources of stress have also been identified, including the stress that arises from the accumulation of unfolded proteins within a cell's endoplasmic reticulum (ER). To counterbalance this type of ER stress, higher eukaryotic cells possess a three-pronged signal-transduction pathway termed the unfolded-protein response (UPR). This Review focuses on the role of the UPR in the mammalian immune system and how manipulation of this complex signalling pathway may be of therapeutic benefit in human disease.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Harvard School of Public Health, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
2. Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Correspondence to: Laurie H. Glimcher^1,2 Email: lglimche@hsph.harvard.edu

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