Studies on the interaction between TWEAK and the death receptor WSL-1/TRAMP (DR3).

WSL-1/TRAMP (DR3) is a member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily which exhibits effects on NF-kappaB activation and apoptosis. TWEAK, a novel TNF-related molecule, has been proposed as the ligand for this receptor. Utilising both human and murine TWEAK ligand, it is shown that TWEAK and WSL-1/TRAMP do not interact in an in vitro binding assay and that TWEAK binds strongly to cells that do not express WSL-1/TRAMP on the cell surface. Biological activity of TWEAK is also observed in these cells. Finally, cells isolated from WSL-1/TRAMP knockout mice are shown to retain their ability to interact with TWEAK. These results suggest that WSL-1/TRAMP is not the major receptor for TWEAK