Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42344924›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Noncanonical NF-κB pathway driven inflammation across multiple cellular compartments identifies NIK as a therapeutic target for inflammatory bowel disease.

Hao Xu, Dun Li, Jie Liang, Nathan Adamson, Alexis Scherl, Luli Zou, Crystal Hu, Elaine E Storm, Christian B Cox, Adam Johnson and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Hao Xu *Translational Immunology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Dun Li *Immunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Jie Liang *Immunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Nathan AdamsonDiscovery Chemistry, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Alexis ScherlResearch Pathology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Luli ZouComputational Biology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Crystal HuTranslational Immunology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Elaine E StormDiscovery Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Christian B CoxImmunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Adam JohnsonBiochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Mary E KeirImmunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Hua ZhangTranslational Immunology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.
Saiyu HangImmunology Discovery, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The noncanonical NF-κB pathway, driven by NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), plays a central role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis by regulating immune responses across epithelial, myeloid, and lymphoid compartments. Despite advances in IBD therapies, novel therapeutic options targeting NIK remain underexplored. Methods: We utilized cell-type-specific knockout models for intestinal epithelial cells, dendritic cells, as well as systemic NIK-deleted mice, to investigate the role of NIK in IBD pathogenesis. A small molecule NIK inhibitor (NIK-smi) was evaluated using pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling and its efficacy tested in preclinical colitis models, including Helicobacter hepaticus + anti-IL-10R, adoptive T cell transfer, and DSS-induced colitis. Biomarker analyses were performed using flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine detection. Results: NIK deletion in epithelial cells disrupted M-cell differentiation, reducing CCL20-mediated recruitment of CCR6-expressing Th17 cells and ILC3s. In dendritic cells, NIK activity amplified CD40-mediated innate immune responses, while in T cells, NIK skewed differentiation toward pro-inflammatory Th1 cells at the expense of regulatory T cells. Systemic NIK deletion and pharmacologic inhibition with NIK-smi attenuated inflammation in preclinical colitis models, reducing immune cell infiltration, pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1β, IFNγ, IL-17A, CCL5), and improving colon histopathology. PK/PD modeling revealed that a 200 mg/kg BID dosing regimen of NIK-smi provided optimal pathway inhibition and therapeutic efficacy. Conclusions: NIK is a key regulator of gut inflammation through its multi-cellular contributions in IBD pathogenesis. Pharmacologic inhibition of NIK offers a promising therapeutic strategy for IBD, with PK/PD modeling providing a translational framework to optimize dosing and efficacy.

Indexed as

Inflammatory Bowel DiseasesNF-kappa BProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesSignal TransductionAnimalsColitisDendritic CellsDisease Models, AnimalInflammationMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutNF-kappaB-Inducing KinaseNF-kappa BNF-kappaB-Inducing KinaseProtein Serine-Threonine Kinasesinflammationinflammatory bowel diseasemouse models and preclinical studiesNIKnon-canonical NF-kBpharmacological inhibition

Identifiers

PMID42344924
PMCPMC13288176

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.