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Original Article |
Correspondence to: Youhai Chen, BRB-II/III, Rm. 511, Institute for Human Gene Therapy and Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Tel:215-898-4671 Fax:215-573-2275 E-mail:yhc{at}mail.med.upenn.edu.
The tumor necrosis factorrelated apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells; its role in normal nontransformed tissues is unknown. We report here that chronic blockade of TRAIL in mice exacerbated autoimmune arthritis, and that intraarticular TRAIL gene transfer ameliorated the disease. In vivo, TRAIL blockade led to profound hyperproliferation of synovial cells and arthritogenic lymphocytes and heightened the production of cytokines and autoantibodies. In vitro, TRAIL inhibited DNA synthesis and prevented cell cycle progression of lymphocytes. Interestingly, TRAIL had no effect on apoptosis of inflammatory cells either in vivo or in vitro. Thus, unlike other members of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, TRAIL is a prototype inhibitor protein that inhibits autoimmune inflammation by blocking cell cycle progression.
Key Words: autoimmunity, inflammation, apoptosis, cytokine, TRAIL
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