title: Role for ceramide as an endogenous mediator of Fas-induced cytotoxicity.
abstract: Triggering of the Fas/APO-1 cell-surface receptor induces apoptosis through an uncharacterized chain of events. Exposure of Fas-sensitive cells to an agonist monoclonal antibody induced cell death and a 200-300% elevation in endogenous levels of the sphingolipid ceramide, a proposed intracellular mediator of apoptosis. In contrast, similar treatment of Fas-resistant cells caused insignificant changes in ceramide levels. Because resistant cell lines expressed the Fas antigen, these results indicate that these cells have a defect in the proximal signaling events leading to ceramide generation. Exposure of the resistant cell lines to a synthetic analog of ceramide induced apoptosis, thus bypassing Fas resistance and indicating that the signaling pathways downstream of ceramide were intact. Furthermore, activation of protein kinase C with the diacylglycerol analog phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate significantly reduced Fas-induced cytotoxicity, suggesting opposing roles for ceramide and protein kinase C in regulation of apoptosis. These results provide evidence for ceramide as a necessary and sufficient lipid mediator of Fas-mediated apoptosis and suggest this process may be modulated via activation of additional signal-transduction pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Tepper
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jayadev
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bielawska
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yonehara
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Hannun
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Seldin
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000502:physiology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002518:Ceramides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006868:Hydrolysis; D010641:Phenotype; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D002518:Ceramides; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D019014:fas Receptor; D011493:Protein Kinase C