Our results suggest that IFN-alpha could sensitize certain human hepatoma cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by stimulating its death signaling and by repressing the survival function in these cells.
The TRAIL on HCC cells induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells that are sensitive to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis, and this process was specifically inhibited by recombinant TRAIL-receptors:Fc which binds to TRAIL.
Our results reveal a new AP-1 site within the TRAIL promoter functionally involved in TGF-beta-induced TRAIL expression and apoptosis in hepatomas and thus provide evidence for the underlying mechanism by which TGF-beta might regulate cell death in liver cancer.