 | This article may be too technical for most readers to understand.(September 2019) |
The death-inducing signaling complex or DISC is a multi-protein complex formed by members of the death receptor family of apoptosis-inducing cellular receptors. [1] A typical example is FasR, which forms the DISC upon trimerization as a result of its ligand (FasL) binding. The DISC is composed of the death receptor, FADD, and caspase 8. It transduces a downstream signal cascade resulting in apoptosis.
The Fas ligands, or cytotoxicity-dependent APO-1-associated proteins, physically associate with APO-1 (also known as the Fas receptor, or CD95), a tumor necrosis factor containing a functional death domain. This association leads to the formation of the DISC, thereby inducing apoptosis. [2] The entire process is initiated when the cell registers the presence of CD95L, the cognate ligand for APO-1. [3] Upon binding, the CAP proteins and procaspase-8 (composed of FLICE, MACH, and Mch5) bind to CD95 through death domain and death effector domain interactions. Procaspase-8 activation is thought to occur through a dimerization process with other procaspase-8 molecules, known as an induced proximity model.
The CAP proteins associate only with the oligomerized version of APO-1 when forming the complex. The CAP1 are CAP2 proteins are also known as FADD/MORT1, an adaptor molecule with a death domain. CAP4 is also called FLICE, a cysteine protease with two death effector domains. [4] CAP3 is the prodomain of FLICE generated during proteolytic activation. [5] Once the DISC assembles, it allows APO-1 signaling to occur, which triggers cell death. In order to do this, downstream targets such as FLICE must be activated. In its inactive state, FLICE's two death domains are thought to bind together and prevent its activation. Once APO-1 aggregates within the cytosol, it recruits FADD, CAP3, and FLICE to the receptor, where FLICE is modified into several active subunits, which have the ability to cleave a variety of substrates. This proteolytic activity then results in a cascade of caspase activation, and ultimately cell death. This apoptotic activity is critical for tissue homeostasis and immune function.
APO-1-mediated apoptosis can be inhibited by a variety of factors, including the viral caspase inhibitors CrmA and p35, as well as viral FLICE-inhibitory proteins known as v-FLIPs. When in the presence of APO-1, v-FLIPs preferentially bind and prevent procaspase-8 from being recruited; as such, apoptosis is stalled. Humans have a homolog for v-FLIP known as c-FLIP, which occurs in two endogenous forms (c-FLIPL (long) and c-FLIPS (short)). These are similar in structure to procaspase-8, but lack the amino acids necessary for caspase-8 catalytic activity. It is thought that c-FLIP may be involved in modulating the immune system, as c-FLIPS is upregulated upon stimulation of the T cell receptor. Furthermore, as high expression of FLIP is known to promote tumor growth, these inhibitor molecules play a role in cancer proliferation.
The DISC has been implicated as a possible drug development target for various cancers, including leukemia, glioma, and colon cancer. In glioma cells, the effects of TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) have been shown to induce DISC-mediated apoptosis. Specifically, TRAIL works by activating two death receptors, DR4 and DR5; these bind to FADD, which then interacts with caspase-8 to assemble the DISC. Tumor cells show varying sensitivity to TRAIL modulated apoptosis, depending on the presence of the antiapoptotic FLIP proteins. [6] Additionally, studies in leukemia have indicated that the histone deacetylase inhibitor LAQ824 increases apoptosis by decreasing the expression levels of the c-FLIPs. [7] As such, these inhibitors are promising targets for anti-cancer therapy.
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, and mRNA decay. The average adult human loses between 50 and 70 billion cells each day due to apoptosis. For an average human child between eight and fourteen years old, approximately twenty to thirty billion cells die per day.
Caspases are a family of protease enzymes playing essential roles in programmed cell death. They are named caspases due to their specific cysteine protease activity – a cysteine in its active site nucleophilically attacks and cleaves a target protein only after an aspartic acid residue. As of 2009, there are 12 confirmed caspases in humans and 10 in mice, carrying out a variety of cellular functions.
Fas ligand is a type-II transmembrane protein that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family. Its binding with its receptor induces apoptosis. Fas ligand/receptor interactions play an important role in the regulation of the immune system and the progression of cancer.
The death-effector domain (DED) is a protein interaction domain found only in eukaryotes that regulates a variety of cellular signalling pathways. The DED domain is found in inactive procaspases and proteins that regulate caspase activation in the apoptosis cascade such as FAS-associating death domain-containing protein (FADD). FADD recruits procaspase 8 and procaspase 10 into a death induced signaling complex (DISC). This recruitment is mediated by a homotypic interaction between the procaspase DED and a second DED that is death effector domain in an adaptor protein that is directly associated with activated TNF receptors. Complex formation allows proteolytic activation of procaspase into the active caspase form which results in the initiation of apoptosis. Structurally the DED domain are a subclass of protein motif known as the death fold and contains 6 alpha helices, that closely resemble the structure of the Death domain (DD).
In the field of cell biology, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), is a protein functioning as a ligand that induces the process of cell death called apoptosis.
Follicular atresia is the breakdown of the ovarian follicles, which consist of an oocyte surrounded by granulosa cells and internal and external theca cells. It occurs continually throughout a woman’s life, as they are born with millions of follicles but will only ovulate around 400 times in their lifetime. Typically around 20 follicles mature each month but only a single follicle is ovulated; the follicle from which the oocyte was released becomes the corpus luteum. The rest undergo atresia.
The Fas receptor, also known as Fas, FasR, apoptosis antigen 1, cluster of differentiation 95 (CD95) or tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 6 (TNFRSF6), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FAS gene. Fas was first identified using a monoclonal antibody generated by immunizing mice with the FS-7 cell line. Thus, the name Fas is derived from FS-7-associated surface antigen.
FAS-associated death domain protein, also called MORT1, is encoded by the FADD gene on the 11q13.3 region of chromosome 11 in humans.
Caspase-8 is a caspase protein, encoded by the CASP8 gene. It most likely acts upon caspase-3. CASP8 orthologs have been identified in numerous mammals for which complete genome data are available. These unique orthologs are also present in birds.
Caspase-3 is a caspase protein that interacts with caspase-8 and caspase-9. It is encoded by the CASP3 gene. CASP3 orthologs have been identified in numerous mammals for which complete genome data are available. Unique orthologs are also present in birds, lizards, lissamphibians, and teleosts.
Tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1-associated DEATH domain protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TRADD gene.
Tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), also known as tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1A (TNFRSF1A) and CD120a, is a ubiquitous membrane receptor that binds tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα).
Death receptor 4 (DR4), also known as TRAIL receptor 1 (TRAILR1) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10A (TNFRSF10A), is a cell surface receptor of the TNF-receptor superfamily that binds TRAIL and mediates apoptosis.
TNF receptor-associated factor 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TRAF1 gene.
Caspase-10 is an enzyme that, in humans, is encoded by the CASP10 gene.
Death receptor 5 (DR5), also known as TRAIL receptor 2 (TRAILR2) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10B (TNFRSF10B), is a cell surface receptor of the TNF-receptor superfamily that binds TRAIL and mediates apoptosis.
Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) functions in a variety of cellular pathways related to both cell survival and death. In terms of cell death, RIPK1 plays a role in apoptosis and necroptosis. Some of the cell survival pathways RIPK1 participates in include NF-κB, Akt, and JNK.
The death domain (DD) is a protein interaction module composed of a bundle of six alpha-helices. DD is a subclass of protein motif known as the death fold and is related in sequence and structure to the death effector domain (DED) and the caspase recruitment domain (CARD), which work in similar pathways and show similar interaction properties. DD bind each other forming oligomers. Mammals have numerous and diverse DD-containing proteins. Within these proteins, the DD domains can be found in combination with other domains, including: CARDs, DEDs, ankyrin repeats, caspase-like folds, kinase domains, leucine zippers, leucine-rich repeats (LRR), TIR domains, and ZU5 domains.
AICD is programmed cell death caused by the interaction of Fas receptors and Fas ligands. AICD is a negative regulator of activated T lymphocytes that results from repeated stimulation of their T-cell receptors (TCR) and helps to maintain peripheral immune tolerance. Alteration of the process may lead to autoimmune diseases.
Jürg Tschopp was a Swiss biochemist, known for his research on apoptosis and the immunology of inflammation. His greatest achievement was perhaps his team's discovery and scientific description of the inflammasome.