In multicellular organisms, cell growth and differentiation is controlled in part by programmed cell death or apoptosis. One major apoptotic pathway is triggered by Fas receptor (Fas)-Fas ligand (FasL) interaction. Neoplastic cells are frequently resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis, evade Fas signals through down regulation of Fas and produce soluble Fas proteins that bind FasL thereby blocking...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of Fas in periarticular tenocytes of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and to study their susceptibility to Fas ligand-mediated apoptosis. Tendon samples were obtained from the quadriceps femoris muscle of patients with knee OA and used for histological evaluation, for immunohistochemical detection of Fas, and to establish tenocyte ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relation between the need for red blood cell transfusion and serum levels of soluble-Fas, erythropoietin and inflammatory cytokines in critically ill patients with and without acute kidney injury. METHODS We studied critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (n=30) and without acute kidney injury (n=13), end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (n=25...

BACKGROUND Fas ligand (FasL) is a transmembrane protein that induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in susceptible cells by interacting with its receptor, Fas. Transmembrane FasL is cleaved by a metalloproteinase enzyme into a soluble form that is released into the extracellular medium. Tumors of the Ewing's sarcoma family express functional transmembrane FasL and release soluble FasL. This ...

Human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) infection leads to a progressive loss of T-cell-mediated immunity associated with T-cell apoptosis. We report here that CD4’ and CD8’ T cells from HIV-l-infected persons are sensitive to Fas (CD95/APO-l)-mediated death induced either by an agonistic anti-Fas antibody or by the physiologic soluble Fas ligand, although showing no sensitivity to tumor necrosi...

Both the function and regulation of Fas expression in tumours is poorly understood. Our laboratory has reported that cultured, low Fas-expressing tumours undergo massive, yet reversible, up-regulation of cell surface Fas expression when injected into mice. The present study was aimed at determining what causes this enhanced Fas expression and whether the newly expressed Fas functions as a death...

Fas ligand (FasL) is a death factor that induces apoptosis in cells bearing its receptor, Fas. Fas and FasL have been detected in the vessel wall, and it has been proposed that Fas-mediated apoptosis has a role in physiological and pathological cell turnover in the vasculature. Here, we evaluated the expression of Fas in the presence and absence of cytokines on both endothelial cells (ECs) and ...