No abstract available.
Apoptosis* ; Fas Ligand Protein

No Abstract Available.
Fas Ligand Protein* ; Keratoconus*

Cytotoxic T cell (CTL) covers several subtypes, which are CD8+, CD4 and CD4-CD8-. CTL derives from T cell repertoire in lymphoid hematopoietic stem cells. It matures in thymus and is activated in peripheral lymphoid tissues. Effector CTL kills the target cells by 2 ways. One is apoptotic effect mediated by FasL-Fas pathway and the other one is cytolytic effect mediated by granzymes. CTL has aroused great attention due to its significance in anti-tumor and anti-virus.
Animals ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Humans ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; immunology ; Perforin ; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; fas Receptor ; immunology

PURPOSE: Fas/Fas ligand system plays an important role in modulating keratocyte apoptosis induced by mechanical corneal epithelial injury. It is also hypothesized that keratocyte apoptosis could be involved in the pathogenesis of keratoconus. The purpose of this study is to evaluate apoptosis in the first passage cultured corneal stromal fibroblasts of normal and keratoconus cornea treated with Fas-stimulating antibody. METHODS: Apoptotic cell death was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion assay in the first passage cultured corneal stromal fibroblasts of keratoconus treated with Fas-stimulating antibody. The experiment was performed in comparison with normal corneal stromal fibroblasts as a control. RESULTS: Apoptotic cells were found in the first passage cultured stromal fibroblasts of normal and keratoconus cornea treated with Fas-stimulating antibody. Apoptotic reaction of cultured stromal fibroblasts of keratoconus cornea treated with Fas-stimulating antibody was stronger than that of normal cultured corneal stromal fibroblasts treated with Fas-stimulating antibody. Apoptosis did not occur in cultured stromal fibroblasts of normal and keratoconus cornea treated with normal mouse control IgM. In Hoechst staining of cell suspension including apoptotic cells, characteristic findings such as cell shrinkage and chromatin condensation were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the differential features of cell death in cultured corneal stromal fibroblasts of keratoconus compared with normal control. Thus, keratocyte apoptosis induced by Fas/Fas ligand system could be an important factor in the pathogenesis of keratoconus.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Death ; Chromatin ; Cornea ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Fibroblasts* ; Immunoglobulin M ; Keratoconus* ; Mice ; Trypan Blue

OBJECTIVES: To examine the expression profile of Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) during glutamate (Glu)-induced spiral ganglion cell (SGC) apoptosis. METHODS: Cultured SGCs were treated with 10-mM, 25-mM, and 50-mM concentrations of Glu and incubated for 24 or 48 hours. The expression intensity of FasL, Fas, caspase 3, and morphology of single SGC were evaluated using immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: In semiquantitative analysis of the Glu-treated SGC, FasL, and caspase 3 expression intensity were increased with concentration- and time-dependent manner. Fas expression intensity did not change with different concentration at 48 hours. In morphologic analysis of the Glu-treated SGC, number of apoptotic cells were increased with concentration- and time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: FasL was expressed in apoptotic SGCs, suggesting that the Fas-FasL signaling pathway may be involved in the Glu-induced apoptosis of dissociated SGCs.
Apoptosis* ; Caspase 3 ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Glutamic Acid ; Spiral Ganglion*

PURPOSE: Malignant astrocytomas are among the commonest primary brain tumors and they have a grave prognosis, and so there is an urgent need to develop effective treatment. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the anti-tumor effect of ginsenosides on human astrocytoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We tested 13 different ginsenosides for their anti-tumor effect on human malignant astrocytoma cells in conjunction with Fas stimulation. In addition, the cell signaling pathways were explored by using pharmacological inhibitors and performing immunoblot analysis. DCF-DA staining and antioxidant experiments were performed to investigate the role of reactive oxygen species as one of the apoptosis-inducing mechanisms. RESULTS: Among the 13 different ginsenoside metabolites, compound K and Rh2 induced apoptotic cell death of the astrocytoma cells in a caspase- and p38 MAPK-dependent manner, yet the same treatment had no cytotoxic effect on the primary cultured human astrocytes. Combined treatment with ginsenosides and Fas ligand showed a synergistic cytotoxic effect, which was mediated by the reduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ginsenoside metabolites in combination with Fas ligand may provide a new strategy to treat malignant astrocytomas, which are tumors that are quite resistant to conventional anti-cancer treatment.
Apoptosis ; Astrocytes ; Astrocytoma ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cell Death ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Ginsenosides ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Reactive Oxygen Species

BACKGROUND: The placenta from a pregnancy that is complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) tends to be smaller than that from a normal pregnancy. To investigate this difference, we analyzed the telomerase activity, the proliferative activity and the mRNA levels of apoptosis mediators in placentas. METHODS: In 20 placentas from normal third-trimester pregnancies and 22 placentas form pregnancies that were complicated by IUGR, the telomerase activity was detected by a telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay. The proliferative activity was assessed by immunohistochemical staining using the MIB-1 monoclonal antibody. The expression of the apoptosis mediator was evaluated by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions for fas and fas ligand. RESULTS: Telomerase activity was detected in 2 (10%) of 20 normal placentas, whereas it was not observed in all tested 13 placentas that were associated with IUGR. The proliferative activity was significantly low in the placentas that were associated with IUGR (7.44+/-2.96%), compared with the normal placentas (11.0+/-3.48%, p=0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in the mRNA levels of fas or fas ligand between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Low telomerase and proliferative activities in the placenta may play a role in the pathogenesis of IUGR.
Apoptosis ; Fas Ligand Protein* ; Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation* ; Humans ; Placenta* ; Pregnancy ; RNA, Messenger ; Telomerase*

BACKGROUND: Apoptosis has been implicated in pathogenesis of various disease. Apo-1/Fas (CD95) is one of the main pathway of apoptosis. To examine the possible relationship between Apo-1/Fas (CD95) and primary knee osteoarthritis, MvaI restriction length polymorphism (RFLP) in human Apo-1/Fas (CD95) gene was assessed. METHODS: Genotype and allele frequencies in promoter region in the Apo-1/Fas (CD95) gene were studied by PCR-RFLP in 226 Korean controls and 148 Korean patients with primary knee osteoarthritis. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in the genotypic distribution and allelic frequencies was found between the control and the knee oateoarthritis patients. But in the severe grade (grade 3, 4) Kellgren-Lawrence score patients, the frequency of MvaI*1 (G) allele was significantly decreased (P=0.0392) and the of MvaI*2 (A) allele frequency was significantly increased (P=0.0473) compared to the normal controls. CONCLUSION: Apo-1/Fas (CD95) gene polymorphism is a part a determinant factor of severity in knee osteoarthritis, the patients with MvaI*2 (A) allele is more severe radiologic progression. Further substantiation studies are needed in larger patient samples and various other apoptosis related genes to elucidate the mechanism of osteoarthritis, including the Fas ligand gene analysis.
Alleles ; Apoptosis ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Knee* ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteoarthritis, Knee* ; Promoter Regions, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo analyze the relationship between Fas ligand (FasL) and gastric cancer extensively.

METHODSThe computerized CNKI database, Wangfang database, Weipu database, Springerlink full-text periodical database and ProQuest full-text periodical database were searched. And, the literatures detecting FasL in gastric cancer with immunohistochemical method which have been published during 1990 to 2006 were also reviewed. The research hypothesis and research method of each literature were the same; the diagnosis of case and control were definite; the size of sample was also definite; the primitive data must offer the number of object whose FasL were expressed positively or offered the positive rate. Each study and its quality were also evaluated. A software Review Manager 4.2.10, was used to analyze the data. and to estimate the overall OR and its 95% CI.

RESULTSA total of 49 literatures have been reviewed. According to the selection and washing out criteria, 13 literatures were used in this Meta-analysis. In the research of gastric cancer group and normal gastric mucosa group, 10 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL has statistical significance (OR(overall) = 14.88, 95% CI 5.34 - 41.48; P < 0.00001); In the research of different differentiation level, 8 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL had no statistical significance (OR(overall) = 1.90, 95% CI 0.68 - 5.28; P = 0.22); In the research of different TNM staging, 5 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL had statistical significance (OR(overall) = 2.58, 95% CI 1.05 - 6.32; P = 0.04); In the research of different Lymph node metastasis, 8 literatures were used. Between the two groups the expression of FasL has no statistical significance (OR(overall) = 1.00, 95% CI 0.45 - 2.21; P = 1.00).

CONCLUSIONThe high expression of FasL is the high risk of gastric cancer, and TNM staging has some associations with gastric cancer.

It is well known that different expression of Apo-1/Fas (CD95) plays important roles in various tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis. Apo-1/Fas mediated apoptosis is one of the important pathways of apoptosis and is known to mediate apoptotic cell death by fas ligand (FasL). To examine the possible relationship between Apo-1/Fas gene polymorphism and HCC susceptibility, MvaI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of Apo-1/Fas gene was examined in 94 Korean HCC patients and 240 control subjects. No statistically significant difference in the genotypic distribution and allelic frequencies was found between the control and the HCC. It is, therefore, concluded that Apo-1/Fas gene polymorphism is not associated with HCC susceptibility. Further studies are needed in order to clarify the relationships between genotypes of Apo-1/Fas gene and HCC pathogenesis.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cell Death ; Fas Ligand Protein ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length