Regulation of the immune response by SHIP.

Multiple lines of experimental data indicate that SHIP1 is an important negative regulator of the immune system. SHIP1 has been demonstrated to control survival and proliferation, as well as differentiation. In the cases of some inhibitory receptors, such as Fc gamma RIIB1, the molecular mechanisms of control by SHIP1 are established. For other receptors, particularly activating receptors where SHIP1 appears to set activation thresholds, the mechanisms remain to be discovered. Further study on SHIP and other SHIP family members could be critical for our understanding the negative regulation in multiple hematopoietic lineages and the immune system as a whole. Copyright 2002 Academic Press.