title: Fas/APO-1 (CD95)-mediated cytotoxicity is responsible for the apoptotic cell death of leukaemic cells induced by interleukin-2-activated T cells.
abstract: Apoptotic cell death is induced by the cross-linking of Fas/APO-1 receptor (CD95) in acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) cells. Since CD95 ligand (CD95L) is expressed on interleukin-2 (IL-2)-activated T cells, we investigated the involvement of CD95-CD95L pathway in T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against AML cells. Activated CD8+ T cells could efficiently kill a parental CD95-sensitive AML cell line, MML-1 and, to a lesser extent, a CD95-resistant clone, MML-1R. Neither MML-1 nor MML-1R cells were killed by activated CD4+ T cells. The blocking monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against CD95, ZB4, caused a significant inhibition of T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity against MML-1 cells but not against MML-1R cells. Interestingly, MML-1 cells underwent the classic nuclear morphologic changes and DNA fragmentation characteristic of apoptosis when cultured with activated T cells. Enumeration of apoptotic and necrotic nuclei showed that both apoptosis and necrosis were induced in MML-1 cells, whereas necrosis was exclusively observed in MML-1R cells. Apoptosis of MML-1 cells was completely blocked in the presence of ZB4 MoAb. Similarly, blocking by ZB4 MoAb significantly inhibited T-cell-mediated lysis of fresh AML cells in a CD95-sensitive group, but not in a CD95-refractory group. In addition CD8+ T cells expressed CD95L mRNA more abundantly than CD4+ T cells upon activation by IL-2. These findings suggest that T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity against AML cells requires participation of CD95-CD95L pathway for cytotoxic signal transduction leading to target apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Mie University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komada
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: T X
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakurai
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology*; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019014:fas Receptor