title: Nature's TRAIL--on a path to cancer immunotherapy.
abstract: The TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) offers great promise as a cancer therapeutic. Initially, soluble recombinant versions of the TRAIL molecule have exhibited specific tumoricidal activity against a variety of tumors alone, or in combination with other cancer treatments, and much anticipation awaits the outcomes from early clinical trials. More recently, the natural role of TRAIL has been explored in tumor and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation models in the mouse. Strikingly, the TRAIL effector pathway appears a vital component of immunosurveillance of spontaneous or resident tumor cells by both T cells and NK cells, stimulating more hope that manipulating TRAIL activity is a natural path to improved cancer immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Immunology Program, Sir Donald and Lady Trescowthick Laboratories, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002, Australia. m.smyth@pmci.unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Jacques J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Peschon
authors.forename: Marcel R M
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yagita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D015870:Gene Expression; D020350:Graft vs Tumor Effect; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D015166:Monitoring, Immunologic; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; C505653:TNFSF10 protein, human; C505654:Tnfsf10 protein, mouse; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha