Stress-associated molecular patterns (SAMPs)

Stress-associated molecular patterns (SAMPs) are a class of endogenous molecules that are upregulated, modified, or released by cells in response to physiological stressors such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, or oxidative stress [14, 15, 21]. Unlike damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are typically associated with cell death and necrosis, SAMPs can be expressed on the surface of living, stressed cells to signal their compromised state to the innate immune system [18, 25]. A key example of a SAMP is the TRAIL receptor (DR4/DR5), which can undergo ligand-independent activation during ER stress to trigger pro-inflammatory NF-κB signaling [14, 19]. SAMPs are increasingly recognized as critical drivers of chronic inflammation in diseases such as cancer, obesity, and neurodegeneration [18, 22]. Therapeutic approaches targeting SAMPs include the use of monoclonal antibodies to modulate receptor activity or small molecules to alleviate the underlying cellular stress [19, 24].

Other names

SAMPsStress-associated patternsStress-induced molecular patternsDanger-associated molecular patterns (subset)

Agonism of death receptors (in cancer), antagonism of death receptors (in inflammation), inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress sensors, and modulation of pattern recognition receptor signaling.