Cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous functions of caspase-8.
Cells in vivo do not act in isolation. Therefore, when attempting to predict the results of pharmaceutical modulation of the function of a protein, we must also take into account the non-cell-autonomous consequences of such modulation. Studies of caspase-8 initially indicated that it serves as the proximal enzyme in cellular self-destruction dictated through the extrinsic cell-death pathway. Later studies revealed that it also participates in mechanisms affecting cell growth and survival. This essay presents a brief account of a study indicating that, apart from functional changes that are cell autonomous, tissue-specific deletion of caspase-8 in mice also has non-cell-autonomous effects with consequences that might even be the opposite of the cell-autonomous ones.
Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Tehila
T
Ben Moshe
Tae-Bong
TB
Kang
Andrew
A
Kovalenko
Hila
H
Barash
Rinat
R
Abramovitch
Eithan
E
Galun
David
D
Wallach
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006498:Hepatectomy; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C505526:Casp8 protein, mouse; D053181:Caspase 8