TGF-beta-induced apoptosis can be mediated via TRAIL in hepatoma cells

TGF-beta is a pleiotropic cytokine that is involved in the development of liver cirrhosis and of tumors in different organs. TGF-beta suppresses the immune response and supports immune escape of certain tumors. Moreover, TGF-beta has been shown to induce apoptosis in transformed hepatocytes. However, the mechanism by which apoptosis is induced is largely unknown. We examined whether death receptor-ligand systems play a role in TGF-b induced apoptosis of hepatoma cells. We examined a potential role of various death receptor/ligand systems in TGF-beta-induced apoptosis and demonstrate, that the TNF-related apoptos…