Involvement in disease
Deficiency in Tnfsf11 results in failure to form lobulo-alveolar mammary structures during pregnancy, resulting in death of newborns. Trance-deficient mice show severe osteopetrosis, with no osteoclasts, marrow spaces, or tooth eruption, and exhibit profound growth retardation at several skeletal sites, including the limbs, skull, and vertebrae and have marked chondrodysplasia, with thick, irregular growth plates and a relative increase in hypertrophic chondrocytes.
Subcellular Location
[Isoform 1]: Cell membrane; Single-pass type II membrane protein.; [Isoform 2]: Cell membrane; Single-pass type II membrane protein.; [Isoform 3]: Cytoplasm.; [Tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11, soluble form]: Secreted.
Tissue Specificity
Highly expressed in thymus and lymph nodes, but not in non-lymphoid tissues and is abundantly expressed in T-cells but not in B-cells. A high level expression is also seen in the trabecular bone and lung.