Suppression of FasL expression in tumor cells and preventing TNF-induced apoptosis was better for immune cells survival.

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate if Fas/FasL signal pathway participates in the immune escape of tumor cells, and if contemporarily preventing Fas/FasL and TNF-induced apoptosis is better for immune cells survival than just blocking Fas/FasL-induced apoptotic signal.

METHODS

Suppression of FasL expression in mouse H22 hepatocellular cancer cells by siRNA technique. Wild-type Ad5 14.7K gene was amplified by PCR and transduced into Jurkat T cells. Detecting apoptosis of target Jurkat cells by Flow Cytometry. Detection of TNF-alpha in the culture supernatant of H22 cells by ELISA. FasL and 14.7K gene expression in stably transfected or transduced clones were determined by western blotting.

RESULTS

FasL expression in H22 cells was down-regulated following stable transfection with a plasmid encoding antisense FasL cDNA. Down-regulation of FasL expression in H22 cells had no effect on tumor growth in vitro. There was an apparent decrease in the number of apoptotic Jurkat T cells following coculture with transfected H22 cells, relative to coculture with FasL-expressing untransfected cells. Compared with untransduced Jurkat cells, apoptotic rates in 14.7K transduced Jurkat cells were significantly reduced in three different E/T ratios (P < 0.01), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Fas/FasL signal pathway participated in the immune escape of tumor cells by inducing immune cells apoptosis. Reducing the expression of FasL in tumor cells can decrease the apoptotic rate of immune cells. Further blocking of apoptotic signal pathway of immune cells by preventing TNF-induced apoptosis can increase the survival of immune cells.