Immune escape of tumors in vivo by expression of cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein

JP Medema, J de Jong, T van Hall… - The Journal of …, 1999 - rupress.org
JP Medema, J de Jong, T van Hall, CJM Melief, R Offringa
The Journal of experimental medicine, 1999rupress.org
The antiapoptotic protein cellular FLICE (Fas-associated death domain–like IL-1β–
converting enzyme) inhibitory protein (cFLIP) protects cells from CD95 (APO-1/Fas)-induced
apoptosis in vitro and was found to be overexpressed in human melanomas. However,
cytotoxic T cell–induced apoptosis, which is critically involved in tumor control in vivo, is not
inhibited by cFLIP in vitro, as only CD95-and not perforin-dependent lysis is affected. This
calls into question whether cFLIP is sufficient to allow escape from T cell–dependent …
The antiapoptotic protein cellular FLICE (Fas-associated death domain–like IL-1β–converting enzyme) inhibitory protein (cFLIP) protects cells from CD95(APO-1/Fas)-induced apoptosis in vitro and was found to be overexpressed in human melanomas. However, cytotoxic T cell–induced apoptosis, which is critically involved in tumor control in vivo, is not inhibited by cFLIP in vitro, as only CD95- and not perforin-dependent lysis is affected. This calls into question whether cFLIP is sufficient to allow escape from T cell–dependent immunity. Using two murine tumors, we directly demonstrate that cFLIP does result in escape from T cell immunity in vivo. Moreover, tumor cells are selected in vivo for elevated cFLIP expression. Therefore, our data indicate that CD95-dependent apoptosis constitutes a more prominent mechanism for tumor clearance than has so far been anticipated and that blockade of this pathway can result in tumor escape even when the perforin pathway is operational.
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