(Tumor Necrosis Factor (Ligand) Superfamily, Member 18 (TNFSF18))
The protein encoded by this gene is a cytokine that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family. This cytokine is a ligand for receptor TNFRSF18/AITR/GITR. It has been shown to modulate T lymphocyte survival in peripheral tissues. This cytokine is also found to be expressed in endothelial cells, and is thought to be important for interaction between T lymphocytes and endothelial cells. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].
Yu, Kim, Song, Min, Jeong, Youn: "Identification of a ligand for glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor constitutively expressed in dendritic cells." in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications, Vol. 310, Issue 2, pp. 433-8, (2003) (PubMed).