ABSTRACT
Much like in other physiological systems, homeostatic set points in the central nervous system (CNS) can shift in response to developmental cues, aging, the plasticity requirements of cognition and memory formation, or acute and chronic insults. Several well-characterized signaling pathways activate transcription in response to perturbations of homeostatic balance, but the Rel/Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) family of transcription factors is distinct in its rapidity of activation and its unique mechanism of regulation. An organism’s defense mechanisms require rapid signaling events that do not depend on de novo protein synthesis for coordination of gene expression to mount effective protective responses. Because an exceptionally large variety of stimuli and stressors requiring rapid reprogramming of gene expression can induce NF-κB within minutes, induction of this transcription factor is among the first lines of defense against threats to the health of an organism.
