Localization of Fas/CD95 into the lipid rafts on down-modulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathway

The dual role of the CD95 and CD95L signaling pathway in glioblastoma

Binding of CD95, a cell surface death receptor, to its homologous ligand CD95L, transduces a cascade of downstream signals leading to apoptosis crucial for immune homeostasis and immune surveillance. Although CD95 and CD95L binding classically induces programmed cell death, most tumor cells show resistance to CD95L-induced apoptosis. In some cancers, such as glioblastoma, CD95-CD95L binding can exhibit paradoxical functions that promote tumor growth by inducing inflammation, regulating immune cell homeostasis, and/or promoting cell survival, proliferation, migration, and maintenance of the stemness of cancer cells. In this review, potential mechanisms such as the expression of apoptotic inhibitor proteins, decreased activity of downstream elements, production of nonapoptotic soluble CD95L, and non-apoptotic signals that replace apoptotic signals in cancer cells are summarized. CD95L is also expressed by other types of cells, such as endothelial cells, polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and tumor-associated microglia, and macrophages, which are educated by the tumor microenvironment and can induce apoptosis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, which recognize and kill cancer cells. The dual role of the CD95-CD95L system makes targeted therapy strategies against CD95 or CD95L in glioblastoma difficult and controversial. In this review, we also discuss the current status and perspective of clinical trials on glioblastoma based on the CD95-CD95L signaling pathway.

Clusters of apoptotic signaling molecule-enriched rafts, CASMERs: membrane platforms for protein assembly in Fas/CD95 signaling and targets in cancer therapy

Mammalian cells show the ability to commit suicide through the activation of death receptors at the cell surface. Death receptors, among which Fas/CD95 is one of their most representative members, lack enzymatic activity, and depend on protein-protein interactions to signal apoptosis. Fas/CD95 death receptor-mediated apoptosis requires the formation of the so-called death-inducing signaling complex (DISC), bringing together Fas/CD95, Fas-associated death domain-containing protein and procaspase-8. In the last two decades, cholesterol-rich lipid raft platforms have emerged as scaffolds where Fas/CD95 can be recruited and clustered. The co-clustering of Fas/CD95 and rafts facilitates DISC formation, bringing procaspase-8 molecules to be bunched together in a limited membrane region, and leading to their autoproteolytic activation by oligomerization. Lipid raft platforms serve as a specific region for the clustering of Fas/CD95 and DISC, as well as for the recruitment of additional downstream signaling molecules, thus forming the so-called cluster of apoptotic signaling molecule-enriched rafts, or CASMER. These raft/CASMER structures float in the membrane like icebergs, in which the larger portion lies inside the cell and communicates with other subcellular structures to facilitate apoptotic signal transmission. This allows an efficient spatiotemporal compartmentalization of apoptosis signaling machinery during the triggering of cell death. This concept of proapoptotic raft platforms as a basic chemical-biological structure in the regulation of cell death has wide-ranging implications in human biology and disease, as well as in cancer therapy. Here, we discuss how these raft-centered proapoptotic hubs operate as a major linchpin for apoptosis signaling and as a promising target in cancer therapy.

Lipid raft-disrupting miltefosine preferentially induces the death of colorectal cancer stem-like cells

BACKGROUND

Lipid rafts (LRs), cholesterol-enriched microdomains on cell membranes, are increasingly viewed as signalling platforms governing critical facets of cancer progression. The phenotype of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) presents significant hurdles for successful cancer treatment, and the expression of several CSC markers is associated with LR integrity. However, LR implications in CSCs remain unclear.

METHODS

This study evaluated the biological and molecular functions of LRs in colorectal cancer (CRC) by using an LR-disrupting alkylphospholipid (APL) drug, miltefosine. The mechanistic role of miltefosine in CSC inhibition was examined through normal or tumour intestinal mouse organoid, human CRC cell, CRC xenograft and miltefosine treatment gene expression profile analyses.

RESULTS

Miltefosine suppresses CSC populations and their self-renewal activities in CRC cells, a CSC-targeting effect leading to irreversible disruption of tumour-initiating potential in vivo. Mechanistically, miltefosine reduced the expression of a set of genes, leading to stem cell death. Among them, miltefosine transcriptionally inhibited checkpoint kinase 1 (CHEK1), indicating that LR integrity is essential for CHEK1 expression regulation. In isolated CD44high CSCs, we found that CSCs exhibited stronger therapy resistance than non-CSC counterparts by preventing cell death through CHEK1-mediated cell cycle checkpoints. However, inhibition of the LR/CHEK1 axis by miltefosine released cell cycle checkpoints, forcing CSCs to enter inappropriate mitosis with accumulated DNA damage and resulting in catastrophic cell death.

CONCLUSION

Our findings underscore the therapeutic potential of LR-targeting APLs for CRC treatment that overcomes the therapy-resistant phenotype of CSCs, highlighting the importance of the LR/CHEK1 axis as a novel mechanism of APLs.

Lipid rafts as signaling hubs in cancer cell survival/death and invasion: implications in tumor progression and therapy: Thematic Review Series: Biology of Lipid Rafts

Cholesterol/sphingolipid-rich membrane domains, known as lipid rafts or membrane rafts, play a critical role in the compartmentalization of signaling pathways. Physical segregation of proteins in lipid rafts may modulate the accessibility of proteins to regulatory or effector molecules. Thus, lipid rafts serve as sorting platforms and hubs for signal transduction proteins. Cancer cells contain higher levels of intracellular cholesterol and lipid rafts than their normal non-tumorigenic counterparts. Many signal transduction processes involved in cancer development (insulin-like growth factor system and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT) and metastasis [cluster of differentiation (CD)44] are dependent on or modulated by lipid rafts. Additional proteins playing an important role in several malignant cancers (e.g., transmembrane glycoprotein mucin 1) are also being detected in association with lipid rafts, suggesting a major role of lipid rafts in tumor progression. Conversely, lipid rafts also serve as scaffolds for the recruitment and clustering of Fas/CD95 death receptors and downstream signaling molecules leading to cell death-promoting raft platforms. The partition of death receptors and downstream signaling molecules in aggregated lipid rafts has led to the formation of the so-called cluster of apoptotic signaling molecule-enriched rafts, or CASMER, which leads to apoptosis amplification and can be pharmacologically modulated. These death-promoting rafts can be viewed as a linchpin from which apoptotic signals are launched. In this review, we discuss the involvement of lipid rafts in major signaling processes in cancer cells, including cell survival, cell death, and metastasis, and we consider the potential of lipid raft modulation as a promising target in cancer therapy.

Samarium enriches antitumor activity of ZnO nanoparticles via downregulation of CXCR4 receptor and cytochrome P450

Cancer is the leading cause of death and exhausts human and economic resources for treatment and protection. Zinc oxide nanoparticles play an effective role in tumor treatment but with some cautions, such as overexpression of cytochrome P450, hepatic overload, and the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway resistance. Although lanthanides have antitumor activity, their use is limited. Therefore, the current study aims to improve the effectiveness of zinc oxide nanoparticle via doping with lanthanides, such as samarium. In vitro study revealed that samarium doped with zinc oxide showed more antitumor activity than the other lanthanides, and the antitumor activity depends on the concentration of samarium in the nanocomposite. The in vivo experiment on mice bearing Ehrlich solid tumor revealed that intramuscular injection of samarium/zinc oxide downregulates the expressions of CXCR4 and PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway in respect to Ehrlich solid tumor group. Regarding the apoptotic biomarkers, samarium/zinc oxide upregulates the apoptotic biomarker; Bax accompanied with the mitotic catastrophe which was indicated by cell cycle arrest in G2 phase. Moreover, samarium:zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibited minimum toxicity which was indicated by suppressed activities of cytochrome P450 and hepatic enzymes, including alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase. In addition, the histopathological finding, as well as immunophenotyping results, appreciated the biochemical finding. Therefore, samarium:zinc oxide might be offered a new approach to improve the effectiveness of zinc oxide nanoparticles along with lower toxic effect. Also, samarium:zinc oxide nanoparticles can be a candidate as a new antitumor compound to detect its mode of action.

Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Enhances the Sensitivity of Hepatocytes to Fas-Mediated Apoptosis via Suppression of AKT Phosphorylation

The Fas receptor/ligand system plays a prominent role in hepatic apoptosis and hepatocyte death. Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface Ag (HBsAg) is the most abundant HBV protein in the liver and peripheral blood of patients with chronic HBV infection, its role in Fas-mediated hepatocyte apoptosis has not been disclosed. In this study, we report that HBsAg sensitizes HepG2 cells to agonistic anti-Fas Ab CH11-induced apoptosis through increasing the formation of SDS-stable Fas aggregation and procaspase-8 cleavage but decreasing both the expression of cellular FLIP_L/S and the recruitment of FLIP_L/S at the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). Notably, HBsAg increased endoplasmic reticulum stress and consequently reduced AKT phosphorylation by deactivation of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDPK1) and mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2), leading to enhancement of Fas-mediated apoptosis. In a mouse model, expression of HBsAg in mice injected with recombinant adenovirus-associated virus 8 aggravated Jo2-induced acute liver failure, which could be effectively attenuated by the AKT activator SC79. Based on these results, it is concluded that HBsAg predisposes hepatocytes to Fas-mediated apoptosis and mice to acute liver failure via suppression of AKT prosurviving activity, suggesting that interventions directed at enhancing the activation or functional activity of AKT may be of therapeutic value in Fas-mediated progressive liver cell injury and liver diseases.

Lipids in the cell: organisation regulates function

Lipids are fundamental building blocks of all cells and play important roles in the pathogenesis of different diseases, including inflammation, autoimmune disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration. The lipid composition of different organelles can vary substantially from cell to cell, but increasing evidence demonstrates that lipids become organised specifically in each compartment, and this organisation is essential for regulating cell function. For example, lipid microdomains in the plasma membrane, known as lipid rafts, are platforms for concentrating protein receptors and can influence intra-cellular signalling. Lipid organisation is tightly regulated and can be observed across different model organisms, including bacteria, yeast, Drosophila, and Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting that lipid organisation is evolutionarily conserved. In this review, we summarise the importance and function of specific lipid domains in main cellular organelles and discuss recent advances that investigate how these specific and highly regulated structures contribute to diverse biological processes.

Nonapoptotic functions of Fas/CD95 in the immune response

CD95 (also known as Fas) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily. Its cognate ligand, CD95L, is implicated in immune homeostasis and immune surveillance. Mutations in this receptor are associated with a loss of apoptotic signaling and have been detected in an autoimmune disorder called autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) type Ia, which shares some clinical features with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In addition, deletions and mutations of CD95 have been described in many cancers, which led researchers to initially classify this receptor as a tumor suppressor. More recent data demonstrate that CD95 engagement evokes nonapoptotic signals that promote inflammation and carcinogenesis. Transmembrane CD95L (m-CD95L) can be cleaved by metalloproteases, releasing a soluble ligand (s-CD95L). Soluble and membrane-bound CD95L show different stoichiometry (homotrimer versus multimer of homotrimers, respectively), which differentially affects CD95-mediated signaling through molecular mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. This review discusses the biological roles of CD95 in light of recent experiments addressing how a death receptor can trigger both apoptotic and nonapoptotic signaling pathways.

CD95-Mediated Calcium Signaling Promotes T Helper 17 Trafficking to Inflamed Organs in Lupus-Prone Mice

CD95 ligand (CD95L) is expressed by immune cells and triggers apoptotic death. Metalloprotease-cleaved CD95L (cl-CD95L) is released into the bloodstream but does not trigger apoptotic signaling. Hence, the pathophysiological role of cl-CD95L remains unclear. We observed that skin-derived endothelial cells from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients expressed CD95L and that after cleavage, cl-CD95L promoted T helper 17 (Th17) lymphocyte transmigration across the endothelial barrier at the expense of T regulatory cells. T cell migration relied on a direct interaction between the CD95 domain called calcium-inducing domain (CID) and the Src homology 3 domain of phospholipase Cγ1. Th17 cells stimulated with cl-CD95L produced sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which promoted endothelial transmigration by activating the S1P receptor 3. We generated a cell-penetrating CID peptide that prevented Th17 cell transmigration and alleviated clinical symptoms in lupus mice. Therefore, neutralizing the CD95 non-apoptotic signaling pathway could be an attractive therapeutic approach for SLE treatment.

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CD95-mediated Ca²⁺ response promotes endothelial transmigration of Th17 cells

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CD95 interacts with PLCγ1 to induce Ca²⁺ response and Th17 cell migration

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Ca²⁺ response stems from a CD95 region different from death domain

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Inhibition of the CD95-mediated Ca²⁺ response alleviates disease in lupus-prone mice

Effect of Spatial Inhomogeneities on the Membrane Surface on Receptor Dimerization and Signal Initiation

Important signal transduction pathways originate on the plasma membrane, where microdomains may transiently entrap diffusing receptors. This results in a non-random distribution of receptors even in the resting state, which can be visualized as “clusters” by high resolution imaging methods. Here, we explore how spatial in-homogeneities in the plasma membrane might influence the dimerization and phosphorylation status of ErbB2 and ErbB3, two receptor tyrosine kinases that preferentially heterodimerize and are often co-expressed in cancer. This theoretical study is based upon spatial stochastic simulations of the two-dimensional membrane landscape, where variables include differential distributions and overlap of transient confinement zones (“domains”) for the two receptor species. The in silico model is parameterized and validated using data from single particle tracking experiments. We report key differences in signaling output based on the degree of overlap between domains and the relative retention of receptors in such domains, expressed as escape probability. Results predict that a high overlap of domains, which favors transient co-confinement of both receptor species, will enhance the rate of hetero-interactions. Where domains do not overlap, simulations confirm expectations that homo-interactions are favored. Since ErbB3 is uniquely dependent on ErbB2 interactions for activation of its catalytic activity, variations in domain overlap or escape probability markedly alter the predicted patterns and time course of ErbB3 and ErbB2 phosphorylation. Taken together, these results implicate membrane domain organization as an important modulator of signal initiation, motivating the design of novel experimental approaches to measure these important parameters across a wider range of receptor systems.

A Novel Covalent mTOR Inhibitor, DHM25, Shows in Vivo Antitumor Activity against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Constitutive activation of the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway contributes to carcinogenesis and metastasis in most, if not all, breast cancers. From a chromene backbone reported to inhibit class I PI3K catalytic subunits, several rounds of chemical syntheses led to the generation of a new collection of chromologues that showed enhanced ability to kill PI3K-addicted cancer cells and to inhibit Akt phosphorylation at serine 473, a hallmark of PI3K/mTOR activation. This initial screen uncovered a chromene designated DHM25 that exerted potent antitumor activity against breast tumor cell lines. Strikingly, DHM25 was shown to be a selective and covalent inhibitor of mTOR using biochemical and cellular analyses, modeling, and a large panel of kinase activity assays spanning the human kinome (243 kinases). Finally, in vivo, this novel drug was an efficient inhibitor of growth and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer cells, paving the way for its clinical application in oncology.

LFA-1-targeting Leukotoxin (LtxA; Leukothera®) causes lymphoma tumor regression in a humanized mouse model and requires caspase-8 and Fas to kill malignant lymphocytes

Leukotoxin (LtxA) is a protein secreted from the oral bacterium Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. LtxA binds to the β2 integrin lymphocyte-associated function antigen-1 (LFA-1) on human white blood cells (WBCs), resulting in cell death. LtxA is currently under investigation as a novel therapy (Leukothera(®)) for treating hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases. We show here that LtxA has potent in vivo anti-lymphoma activity in mice. LtxA caused complete regression of B-cell tumors and promoted long-term survival of mice. The mechanism of LtxA-mediated killing of malignant lymphocytes was further examined. We found that LtxA kills malignant lymphocytes by a novel mechanism requiring the death receptor Fas and caspase-8, but not Fas ligand (FasL) or caspase-9. We also determined that LFA-1 and Fas are closely associated on the cell surface and this proximity of LFA-1 and Fas could explain how signaling through an integrin can lead to cell death. In addition to LFA-1, this work reveals a second surface protein, Fas, that is critical for LtxA-mediated cell death. Knowledge of the mechanism of cell death induced by LtxA will facilitate the development and understanding of this potent experimental therapeutic agent.

Lipid rafts as major platforms for signaling regulation in cancer

Cell signaling does not apparently occur randomly over the cell surface, but it seems to be integrated very often into cholesterol-rich membrane domains, termed lipid rafts. Membrane lipid rafts are highly ordered membrane domains that are enriched in cholesterol, sphingolipids and gangliosides, and behave as major modulators of membrane geometry, lateral movement of molecules, traffic and signal transduction. Because the lipid and protein composition of membrane rafts differs from that of the surrounding membrane, they provide an additional level of compartmentalization, serving as sorting platforms and hubs for signal transduction proteins. A wide number of signal transduction processes related to cell adhesion, migration, as well as to cell survival and proliferation, which play major roles in cancer development and progression, are dependent on lipid rafts. Despite lipid rafts harbor mainly critical survival signaling pathways, including insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling, recent evidence suggests that these membrane domains can also house death receptor-mediated apoptotic signaling. Recruitment of this death receptor signaling pathway in membrane rafts can be pharmacologically modulated, thus opening up the possibility to regulate cell demise with a therapeutic use. The synthetic ether phospholipid edelfosine shows a high affinity for cholesterol and accumulates in lipid rafts in a number of malignant hematological cells, leading to an efficient in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity by inducing translocation of death receptors and downstream signaling molecules to these membrane domains. Additional antitumor drugs have also been shown to act, at least in part, by recruiting death receptors in lipid rafts. The partition of death receptors together with downstream apoptotic signaling molecules in membrane rafts has led us to postulate the concept of a special liquid-ordered membrane platform coined as "cluster of apoptotic signaling molecule-enriched rafts" (CASMER), referring to raft platforms enriched in apoptotic molecules. CASMERs act as scaffolds for apoptosis signaling compartmentalization, facilitating and stabilizing protein-protein interactions by local assembly of cross-interacting molecules, which leads to apoptosis amplification and a decrease in apoptotic signal threshold. Edelfosine also displaced survival PI3K/Akt signaling from lipid rafts, leading to Akt inhibition, in mantle cell lymphoma cells. Thus, membrane rafts could act as scaffold structures where segregation of pro- from anti-apoptotic molecules could take place. In this review, we summarize our view of how reorganization of the protein composition of lipid raft membrane domains regulates cell death and therefore it might be envisaged as a novel target in the treatment of cancer.

The CD95/CD95L signaling pathway: a role in carcinogenesis

Apoptosis is a fundamental process that contributes to tissue homeostasis, immune responses, and development. The receptor CD95, also called Fas, is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) superfamily. Its cognate ligand, CD95L, is implicated in immune homeostasis and immune surveillance, and various lineages of malignant cells exhibit loss-of-function mutations in this pathway; therefore, CD95 was initially classified as a tumor suppressor gene. However, more recent data indicate that in different pathophysiological contexts, this receptor can transmit non-apoptotic signals, promote inflammation, and contribute to carcinogenesis. A comparison with the initial molecular events of the TNF-R signaling pathway leading to non-apoptotic, apoptotic, and necrotic pathways reveals that CD95 is probably using different molecular mechanisms to transmit its non-apoptotic signals (NF-κB, MAPK, and PI3K). As discussed in this review, the molecular process by which the receptor switches from an apoptotic function to an inflammatory role is unknown. More importantly, the biological functions of these signals remain elusive.

Importance of the difference in surface pressures of the cell membrane in doxorubicin resistant cells that do not express Pgp and ABCG2

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) represents the archetypal mechanism of drug resistance. But Pgp alone cannot expel drugs. A small but growing body of works has demonstrated that the membrane biophysical properties are central to Pgp-mediated drug resistance. For example, a change in the membrane surface pressure is expected to support drug–Pgp interaction. An interesting aspect from these models is that under specific conditions, the membrane is predicted to take over Pgp concerning the mechanism of drug resistance especially when the surface pressure is high enough, at which point drugs remain physically blocked at the membrane level. However it remains to be determined experimentally whether the membrane itself could, on its own, affect drug entry into cells that have been selected by a low concentration of drug and that do not express transporters. We demonstrate here that in the case of the drug doxorubicin, alteration of the surface pressure of membrane leaflets drive drug resistance.

Lipid raft-mediated Akt signaling as a therapeutic target in mantle cell lymphoma

Recent evidence shows that lipid raft membrane domains modulate both cell survival and death. Here, we have found that the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway is present in the lipid rafts of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cells, and this location seems to be critical for full activation and MCL cell survival. The antitumor lipids (ATLs) edelfosine and perifosine target rafts, and we found that ATLs exerted in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity against MCL cells by displacing Akt as well as key regulatory kinases p-PDK1 (phosphatidylinositol-dependent protein kinase 1), PI3K and mTOR (mammalian TOR) from lipid rafts. This raft reorganization led to Akt dephosphorylation, while proapoptotic Fas/CD95 death receptor was recruited into rafts. Raft integrity was critical for Ser473 Akt phosphorylation. ATL-induced apoptosis appeared to correlate with the basal Akt phosphorylation status in MCL cell lines and primary cultures, and could be potentiated by the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin, or inhibited by the Akt activator pervanadate. Classical Akt inhibitors induced apoptosis in MCL cells. Microenvironmental stimuli, such as CD40 ligation or stromal cell contact, did not prevent ATL-induced apoptosis in MCL cell lines and patient-derived cells. These results highlight the role of raft-mediated PI3K/Akt signaling in MCL cell survival and chemotherapy, thus becoming a new target for MCL treatment.

Precise mapping of the CD95 pre-ligand assembly domain

Pre-association of CD95 at the plasma membrane is mandatory for efficient death receptor signaling. This homotrimerization occurs through self-association of an extracellular domain called the pre-ligand assembly domain (PLAD). Using novel molecular and cellular tools, we confirmed that CD95-PLAD is necessary to promote CD95 multimerization and plays a pivotal role in the transmission of apoptotic signals. However, while a human CD95 mutant deleted of the previously described PLAD domain (amino acids 1 to 66) fails to interact with its wild-type counterpart and trigger autonomous cell death, deletion of amino acids 1 to 42 does not prevent homo- or hetero (human/mouse)-oligomerization of CD95, and thus does not alter transmission of the apoptotic signal. Overall, these findings indicate that the region between amino acids 43 to 66 corresponds to the minimal motif involved in CD95 homotypic interaction and is necessary to convey an efficient apoptotic signal. Interfering with this PLAD may represent a new therapeutic strategy for altering CD95-induced apoptotic and non-apoptotic signals.

CD95-mediated cell signaling in cancer: mutations and post-translational modulations

Apoptosis has emerged as a fundamental process important in tissue homeostasis, immune response, and during development. CD95 (also known as Fas), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) superfamily, has been initially cloned as a death receptor. Its cognate ligand, CD95L, is mainly found at the plasma membrane of activated T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells where it contributes to the elimination of transformed and infected cells. According to its implication in the immune homeostasis and immune surveillance, and since several malignant cells of various histological origins exhibit loss-of-function mutations, which cause resistance towards the CD95-mediated apoptotic signal, CD95 has been classified as a tumor suppressor gene. Nevertheless, this assumption has been recently challenged, as in certain pathophysiological contexts, CD95 engagement transmits non-apoptotic signals that promote inflammation, carcinogenesis or liver/peripheral nerve regeneration. The focus of this review is to discuss these apparent contradictions of the known function(s) of CD95.

Apoptosis modulation as a promising target for treatment of systemic sclerosis

Diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a fatal autoimmune disease characterized by an excessive ECM deposition inducing a loss of function of skin and internal organs. Apoptosis is a key mechanism involved in all the stages of the disease: vascular damage, immune dysfunction, and fibrosis. The purpose of this paper is to gather new findings in apoptosis related to SSc, to highlight relations between apoptosis and fibrosis, and to identify new therapeutic targets.

Antioxidant c-FLIP inhibits Fas ligand-induced NF-kappaB activation in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent manner

Fas ligand (FasL) belongs to the TNF family of death ligands, and its binding to the FasR leads to activation of several downstream signaling pathways and proteins, including NF-κB and PI3K/Akt. However, it is not known whether cross-talk exists between NF-κB and PI3K/Akt in the context of FasL signaling. We demonstrate using both human renal epithelial 293T cells and Jurkat T-lymphocyte cells that although FasL activates both Akt and NF-κB, Akt inhibits FasL-dependent NF-κB activity in a reactive oxygen species-dependent manner. Cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), an antioxidant and an important component of the death-inducing signaling complex, also represses NF-κB upstream of the regulatory IκB kinase-γ protein subunit in the NF-κB signaling pathway, and positive cross-talk exists between Akt and c-FLIP in the context of inhibition of FasL-induced NF-κB activity. The presence of two death effector domains of c-FLIP and S-nitrosylation of its caspase-like domain were found to be important for mediating c-FLIP-dependent downregulation of NF-κB activity. Taken together, our study reveals a novel link between NF-κB and PI3K/Akt and establishes c-FLIP as an important regulator of FasL-mediated cell death.

Actin-independent exclusion of CD95 by PI3K/AKT signalling: implications for apoptosis

The immune system eliminates infected or transformed cells through the activation of the death receptor CD95. CD95 engagement drives the recruitment of the adaptor protein Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD), which in turn aggregates and activates initiator caspases-8 and -10. The CD95-mediated apoptotic signal relies on the capacity to form the CD95/FADD/caspases complex termed the death-inducing signalling complex (DISC). Cells are classified according to the magnitude of DISC formation as either type I (efficient DISC formation) or type II (inefficient). CD95 localised to lipid rafts in type I cells, whereas the death receptor was excluded from these domains in type II cells. Here, we show that inhibition of both PI3K class IA and serine-threonine kinase Akt in type II cells promoted the redistribution of CD95 into lipid rafts, DISC formation and the initiation of the apoptotic signal. Strikingly, these molecular events took place independently of CD95L and the actin cytoskeleton. Overall, these findings highlight that the oncogenic PI3K/Akt signalling pathway participates in maintaining cells in a type II phenotype by excluding CD95 from lipid rafts.

Monte Carlo simulations of plasma membrane corral-induced EGFR clustering

Experimental evidence suggests that the cell membrane is a highly organized structure that is compartmentalized by the underlying membrane cytoskeleton (MSK). The interaction between the cell membrane and the cytoskeleton led to the "picket-fence" model, which was proposed to explain certain aspects of membrane compartmentalization. This model assumes that the MSK hinders and confines the motion of receptors and lipids to compartments in the membrane. However, the impact of the MSK on receptor clustering, aggregation, and downstream signaling remains unclear. For example, some evidence suggests that the MSK enhances dimerization, while other evidence suggests decreased dimerization and signaling. Herein, we use computational Monte Carlo simulations to examine the effects of MSK density and receptor concentration on receptor dimerization and clustering. Preliminary results suggest that the MSK may have the potential to induce receptor clustering, which is a function of both picket-fence density and receptor concentration.

Syntaxin 4 is required for acid sphingomyelinase activity and apoptotic function

Acid sphingomyelinase (A-SMase) is an important enzyme in sphingolipid metabolism and plays key roles in apoptosis, immunity, development, and cancer. In addition, it mediates cytotoxicity of cisplatin and some other chemotherapeutic drugs. The mechanism of A-SMase activation is still undefined. We now demonstrate that, upon CD95 stimulation, A-SMase is activated through translocation from intracellular compartments to the plasma membrane in an exocytic pathway requiring the t-SNARE protein syntaxin 4. Indeed, down-regulation of syntaxin 4 inhibits A-SMase translocation and activation induced by CD95 stimulation. This leads to inhibition of the CD95-triggered signaling events, including caspase 3 and 9 activation and apoptosis, activation of the survival pathway involving the protein kinase Akt, and important changes in cell cycle and proliferation. The molecular interaction between A-SMase and syntaxin 4 was not known and clarifies the mechanism of A-SMase activation. The novel actions of syntaxin 4 in sphingolipid metabolism and exocytosis we describe here define signaling mechanisms of broad relevance in cell pathophysiology.

Effect of simvastatin on glioma cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we investigated the effects of simvastatin on proliferation, migration, and apoptosis in human U251 and U87 glioma cells and the underlying molecular mechanism.

METHODS

We used colony formation assay to test the cell proliferation, in vitro scratch assay to examine the cell migration, and caspase-3 activity assay, annexin V staining, and cytochrome C release to evaluate the cell apoptosis. Lipid raft fractions were isolated from glioma cells. Total cholesterol content assay was used to test the change of cholesterol level in lipid raft fractions. Immunocytochemistry staining was performed to detect the changes of lipid rafts in cell membranes. Western blotting analysis was performed to examine the signal transduction both in cells and in lipid raft fractions.

RESULTS

Simvastatin inhibited proliferation and migration of U251 and U87 cells dose dependently. Simvastatin induced an increase of caspase-3 activity and annexin V staining, and down-regulated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. Simvastatin also decreased cholesterol content in lipid raft fractions, suppressed caveolin-1 expression in the lipid rafts, and induced Fas translocation into lipid rafts, suggesting that simvastatin may inhibit the prosurvival PI3K/Akt pathway and trigger caspase-3-dependent apoptotic cell death through the modulation of lipid rafts.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that modulation of lipid rafts, Fas translocation, and PI3K/Akt/caspase-3 pathway are involved in the antitumor effect of simvastatin and may have a potential role in cancer prevention and treatment.

Avicin D, a plant triterpenoid, induces cell apoptosis by recruitment of Fas and downstream signaling molecules into lipid rafts

Avicins, a family of triterpene electrophiles originally identified as potent inhibitors of tumor cell growth, have been shown to be pleiotropic compounds that also possess antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-inflammatory activities. We previously showed that Jurkat cells, which express a high level of Fas, are very sensitive to treatment with avicins. Thus, we hypothesized that avicins may induce cell apoptosis by activation of the Fas pathway. By using a series of cell lines deficient in cell death receptors, we demonstrated that upon avicin D treatment, Fas translocates to the cholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched membrane microdomains known as lipid rafts. In the lipid rafts, Fas interacts with Fas-associated death domain (FADD) and Caspase-8 to form death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) and thus mediates cell apoptosis. Interfering with lipid raft organization by using a cholesterol-depleting compound, methyl-β-cyclodextrin, not only prevents the clustering of Fas and its DISC complex but also reduces the sensitivity of the cells to avicin D. Avicin D activates Fas pathways independent of the association between extracellular Fas ligands and Fas receptors. A deficiency in Fas and its downstream signaling molecules leads to the resistance of the cells to avicin D treatment. Taken together, our results demonstrate that avicin D triggers the redistribution of Fas in the membrane lipid rafts, where Fas activates receptor-mediated cell death.

The necrotic signal induced by mycophenolic acid overcomes apoptosis-resistance in tumor cells

Background

The amount of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), a pivotal enzyme for the biosynthesis of the guanosine tri-phosphate (GTP), is frequently increased in tumor cells. The anti-viral agent ribavirin and the immunosuppressant mycophenolic acid (MPA) are potent inhibitors of IMPDH. We recently showed that IMPDH inhibition led to a necrotic signal requiring the activation of Cdc42.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Herein, we strengthened the essential role played by this small GTPase in the necrotic signal by silencing Cdc42 and by the ectopic expression of a constitutive active mutant of Cdc42. Since resistance to apoptosis is an essential step for the tumorigenesis process, we next examined the effect of the MPA–mediated necrotic signal on different tumor cells demonstrating various mechanisms of resistance to apoptosis (Bcl2-, HSP70-, Lyn-, BCR-ABL–overexpressing cells). All tested cells remained sensitive to MPA–mediated necrotic signal. Furthermore, inhibition of IMPDH activity in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia cells was significantly more efficient at eliminating malignant cells than apoptotic inducers.

Conclusions/Significance

These findings indicate that necrosis and apoptosis are split signals that share few if any common hub of signaling. In addition, the necrotic signaling pathway induced by depletion of the cellular amount of GTP/GDP would be of great interest to eliminate apoptotic-resistant tumor cells.

Palmitoylation of the TRAIL receptor DR4 confers an efficient TRAIL-induced cell death signalling

S-palmitoylation is a lipid modification that regulates membrane–protein association and influences protein trafficking, stability or aggregation, thus playing an important role in protein signalling. We previously demonstrated that the palmitoylation of Fas, one of the DD (death domain)-containing members of the TNFR [TNF (tumour necrosis factor) receptor] superfamily, is essential for the redistribution of this receptor into lipid rafts, an obligatory step for the death signal transmission. Here we investigate the requirement of protein palmitoylation in the activities of other DD-containing death receptors. We show that DR4 is palmitoylated, whereas DR5 and TNFR1 are not. Furthermore, DR4 palmitoylation is required for its raft localization and its ability to oligomerize, two essential features in TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand)-induced death signal transmission.