Biological process

NIK-IKK kinase cascade, NIK-IKK signaling pathway, NIK-IKK-alpha cascade, NIK/NF-kappaB cascade, NIK/NF-kappaB signal transduction, NIK/NF-kappaB signaling, non-canonical NF-KB signaling, noncanonical NF-kappaB signaling, noncanonical nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway

An intracellular signaling cassette characterized by the NIK-dependent processing and activation of NF-kappaB. Begins with activation of the NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK), which in turn phosphorylates and activates IkappaB kinase alpha (IKKalpha). IKKalpha phosphorylates the NF-kappa B2 protein (p100) leading to p100 processing and release of an active NF-kappaB (p52). The non-canonical NF-kappaB signaling pathway is generally activated by ligands of the TNF receptor superfamily, including lymphotoxin beta (LTB), CD40, OX40, RANK, TWEAK and B cell-activating factor (BAFF).