TIM-4/TIMD-4 Protein, Mouse (HEK293, His)

TIM-4/TIMD-4 Protein acts as a phosphatidylserine receptor with diverse roles in the immune response, participating in both the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and the regulation of T-cell function. Its involvement in T-cell activation is bimodal, as it decreases the activation of naive T-cells by inducing cell cycle arrest while concurrently enhancing the proliferation of activated T-cells through the activation of AKT1 and ERK1/2 phosphorylations and subsequent signaling pathways. Additionally, TIM-4/TIMD-4 plays a pivotal role in efferocytosis, the process of phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, by directly binding to phosphatidylserine on apoptotic cells, thereby facilitating their engulfment by phagocytes. This function is distinctive, as other engulfment receptors like MERTK are more efficient in recognizing and mediating the ingestion of apoptotic cells. Furthermore, TIM-4/TIMD-4 promotes the autophagy process by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activity through the activation of the STK11/PRKAA1 pathway in a phosphatidylserine-dependent mechanism. The protein forms homodimers, contributing to its multifaceted roles in immune regulation.