We investigated the role of Fas ligand in the development of anti-tumor immunity. The LSA tumor specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone, PE-9, expressed both Fas and Fas ligand. This CTL clone upregulated Fas and Fas ligand expression upon activation through the T-cell receptor and induced apoptosis in Fas+, LSA tumor cells using the FasL-based pathway. However, LSA and EL-4 tumor cells constitutively expressed Fas ligand and killed Fas+ PE-9 CTLs and Fas+, but not Fas-negative (Fas-) activated T cells and thymocytes. These data suggested that T cells and cancer cells can kill each other and that cancer cells may use Fas ligand to evade the action of the immune T cells. In addition to the expression of membrane-bound form, FasL+ LSA and EL-4 tumor cells produced a soluble form of Fas ligand when they grew in vivo and in vitro. Serum from EL-4 or LSA-bearing wild type mice contained significant levels of Fas ligand. The soluble FasL induced apoptosis in liver and thymus of C57BL/6 wild type (Fas+) mice, but not C57BL/6 lpr/lpr (Fas-) mice. The detection of apoptosis in the liver of C57BL/6 gld/gld (FasL-defective) mice suggested that the source of Fas ligand found in the sera of EL-4 or LSA-bearing mice was from the tumor cells rather than the host cells. CTL or NK cells used FasL-based apoptosis to kill the target cells when activated. To this end, we tested whether constitutive expression of Fas on tumor cells generate enhanced anti-tumor immunity. IL-2 or poly-I-C induced/ activated NK/LAK cells displayed higher cytotoxicity against L1210 Fas+, but not L1210 Fas- tumor cells. Furthermore, growth of L1210 Fas+, but not Fas- tumor, in vivo, generated Fas-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Therefore, mice bearing L1210 Fas+ tumor cells survived for a longer time than mice bearing L1210 Fas- tumor cells. To determine the role of the Fas, FasL, and perforin in the initiation of tumor, C57BL/6 +/+ (FasL+, Fas+), C57BL/6 lpr/lpr (Fas-), C57BL/6 gld/gld (FasL-), and perforin knock-out (PKO) (FasL+, Fas+, but perforin-deficient) mice were injected with methylcholanthrane (MCA). Tumor development in lpr or gld mice was faster and uncontrollable, compared to C57BL/6 (wild-type) and PKO mice. However, wild-type and PKO mice showed delayed tumor appearence and were able to suppress tumor growth. In addition to the deficiency of Fas or FasL, high levels of TGF-b and IL-10 expression detected in lpr and gld mice were also responsible for the early tumor development. Together these data suggested that interactions between Fas and Fas ligand, expressed on immune cells and tumor cells, play an important role in the generation of anti-tumor immunity. Tumor cells use FasL to evade the action of the immune system, and upregulation of FasL makes T cells more cytolytic. Tumor growth may depend on the number of cancer cells vs. the number of cancer specific T cells. / Ph. D.

Submitted by Diogo Misoguti (diogo.misoguti@gmail.com) on 2016-07-06T13:30:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 cp140202.pdf: 801715 bytes, checksum: 77b9797c6e724ebc02ec928d4905cfac (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diogo Misoguti (diogo.misoguti@gmail.com) on 2016-07-06T13:31:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 cp140202.pdf: 801715 bytes, checksum: 77b9797c6e724ebc02ec928d4905cfac (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-06T13:31:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 cp140202.pdf: 801715 bytes, checksum: 77b9797c6e724ebc02ec928d4905cfac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / INTRODUÇÃO: A deficiência e a exacerbação do sistema Fas/FasL está associada ao aparecimento de diversas doenças hematológicas ou não. Na HPN, existem evidências de que o sistema Fas/FasL possa atuar na seleção e proliferação do clone mutante através do aumento da apoptose das células normais. Nosso objetivo foi determinar a expressão dos marcadores de apoptose Fas e FasL em neutrófilos e monócitos de pacientes com HPN e tentar estabelecer relação entre estes marcadores de apoptose e os subtipos clínicos da doença. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 16 pacientes em acompanhamento nos Serviços de Hematologia da Universidade de São Paulo (USP) e da Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP). Os pacientes foram divididos clinicamente em HPN clássica (HPN: 9 indivíduos) e HPN associada a quadro de falência medular (HPN/FM: 7 indivíduos). Foi avaliada a expressão de Fas (CD95) e de FasL em neutrófilos (CD59) e monócitos (CD14) de portadores de HPN, através de citometria de fluxo (FACScalibur, programa Cell Quest - BDB). Nos indivíduos HPN, as populações de neutrófilos foram divididas segundo sua positividade para o antígeno CD59 (59+/PC ou 59-/PC), e nos monócitos para o CD14 (14+/PC ou 14-/PC). Também foi analisada a expressão de Fas/FasL em neutrófilos (59+/GC) e monócitos (14+/GC) de 10 indivíduos normais (grupo controle). RESULTADOS: Quando analisado o grupo total de pacientes, não foi vista diferença estatística na expressão do Fas quando comparados granulócitos (59+/PC, 59-/PC, 59+/GC) e monócitos (14+/PC, 14-/PC, 14+/GC). A expressão de FasL nos granulócitos 59-/PC foi significantemente menor do que nos 59+/PC (p=0,008). Não foi observada diferença estatística na expressão de FasL em monócitos. Quando analisados os subtipos clínicos, pacientes com HPN/FM apresentaram menor expressão de Fas nos granulócitos 59-/PC (p=0,041) e nos monócitos 14-/PC (p=0,014) do que os indivíduos com HPN. A expressão de FasL não mostrou alterações em granulócitos e monócitos entre os grupos HPN e HPN/FM. Nos indivíduos com HPN/FM, entretanto, as células 59-/PC apresentaram expressão de FasL significantemente diminuídas em relação às 59+/PC (p=0,031). DISCUSSÃO E CONCLUSÕES: Relatos anteriores sugerem que ocorra maior expressão de Fas em células-tronco CD59+ em comparação às células-tronco CD59-. Neste estudo, pacientes com falência medular associada apresentaram menor expressão de Fas em neutrófilos 59-/PC e monócitos 14-/PC do que os pacientes com HPN clássica, sugerindo que nestes pacientes as células 59+/PC e 14+/PC estariam mais sujeitas à apoptose, concordando com a hipótese de vantagem da sobrevida do clone HPN. A expressão de FasL foi maior em neutrófilos 59+/PC em comparação com 59-/PC, fato que se confirmou especialmente no grupo com falência medular associada. Este dado poderia sugerir um excesso de FasL na medula óssea levando à apoptose das células-tronco, o que explicaria a alterações medulares características da HPN. Apesar da importância do FasL na apoptose, este é o primeiro estudo a analisar a expressão de FasL em fagócitos de pacientes com HPN. / INTRODUCTION: The Fas/FasL system dysfunction has been associated with hematological and non hematological diseases. In PNH, there are evidences that this system could select and maintain the proliferation of the mutational clone through the promotion of normal cells apoptosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of Fas and FasL in neuthophils and monocytes from PNH patients. We tried also to detect a possible relation between these expressions and clinical subtypes of this disease. METHODS: We analyzed 16 patients followed in 2 institutions: Sao Paulo State University (USP) and Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP). The patients were clinically classified as classic PNH (PNH/CL: 9 patients) and PNH in the setting of another bone marrow failure syndrome (PNH/BF: 7 patients). The expression of Fas (CD95) e Fas ligant (FasL) in neutrophils (CD59) and monocytes (CD14) was analyzed by flow citometry (FACScalibur, Cell Quest software - BDB). In PNH individuals, the neutrophils were divided according CD59 positivity (59+/Pt or 59- /Pt), and in monocytes according CD14 positivity (14+/Pt or 14-/Pt). There was analyzed the Fas/FasL expression in neutrophils (59+/CG) and monocytes (14+/CG) in 10 normal individuals (control group). RESULTS: When we analyzed all patients, no statistical difference was found in Fas expression among the neutrophils 59+/Pt, 59-/Pt and 59+/CG. The same result was observed among monocytes 14+/Pt, 14-/Pt and 14+/CG. FasL expression on 59-/Pt neutrophils was significantly less than on 59+/Pt (p=0.008). FasL expression on monocytes showed no statistical difference. When we analyzed the data according with clinical subtypes, PNH/BF patients had less Fas expression on 59-/Pt neutrophils (p=0.041) and on 14-/Pt monocytes (p=0.014) than PNH/CL. FasL expression did not showed difference on neutrophils and monocytes between PNH/CL and PNH/BF patients. The group of PNH/BF individuals, however, had 59-/Pt with less FasL expression than 59+/Pt cells (p=0.031). DISCUSSION: Previous studies had been show higher expression of Fas in CD59+/stem cells than CD59-/stem cells. In this study, PNH/BF patients had less Fas expression on 59-/Pt and on 14-/Pt cells than PNH/CL patients. This data suggest that 59+/Pt and 14+/PT cells could be more susceptible to apoptosis, with is in agreement with the PNH clone survival advantage hypothesis. FasL expression was higher on 59+/Pt than on 59-/Pt, especially in the PNH/BF group. We could speculate, with this data, that FasL in excess could act in bone marrow, initiating the stem cells apoptosis process, what explain the characteristics bone marrow alterations found in PNH. Although of the importance of FasL in apoptosis, this is the first study to analyze its expression on PNH. / FAPESP: 04/12342-4 / FAPESP: 04/16019-3

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Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are differentiated CD8+ T cells that eliminate virally infected cells and tumor cells. CTL lyse target cells by at least two distinct mechanisms: degranulation of cytolytic molecules and cell surface expression of Fas ligand (FasL), which induces apoptosis of Fas-expressing target cells. In addition to their defense function, these two cytolytic mechanisms also play crucial roles in homeostatic regulation and contribute to pathogenesis in many different model systems. To fully exploit killer cells in tumor and virus elimination, or dampen the immune response in, for example, autoimmune diseases, it is essential to understand the mechanisms that CTL employ to destroy target cells. In contrast to the well-characterized degranulation mechanism, the regulation of FasL expression on the CTL cell surface remains elusive and even controversial. The prevailing model at the time I initiated my studies was that FasL is stored in cytolytic granules and that FasL cell surface expression would be subject to the same controls as degranulation. In this thesis, I revealed for the first time that there are two waves of FasL cell surface expression upon target cell engagement, which are differentially regulated by TCR signaling and perform distinct roles in CTL mediated responses. I demonstrated that CTL degranulation and FasL lytic mechanisms are fully independent with respect to stored component localization and regulation. Finally, based on cell fractionation and imaging studies, I suggested that FasL is stored in a recycling endosome associated compartment, which is located in a special niche between the ER and mitochondria and uses a novel microtubule-independent secretory mechanism to translocate to the cell surface. Together, these findings provide important insight into the regulation and role of FasL in CTL mediated responses. / Immunology

Stick- och skärskador är ett problem inom sjukvården. Förekomsten är störst inom operationsverksamhet, där stora mängder blod och andra kroppsvätskor samt vassa instrument hanteras. Risken för blodsmitta varierar för de vanligaste blodsmittorna HBV, HCV och HIV men när tillbud sker finns alltid en möjlig risk för blodsmitta. Syftet är att identifiera orsaker till stick- och skärskador samt beskriva åtgärder för att minska risken för blodsmitta under den intraoperativa fasen. I ett operationsteam ingår många olika yrkesgrupper som arbetar nära varandra på en begränsad yta och risken för tillbud ökar Risken för operationsteamet kommer aldrig helt att kunna elimineras, men genom att identifiera orsaksfaktorer, såsom handskperforation, operationslängd och blodstänk finns möjlighet att påverka sin egen och övriga i operationsteamets säkerhet. Genom att använda olika skyddsåtgärder som dubbla/indikatorhandskar, mun och ansiktsskydd samt användandet av preventiva arbetsmetoder som Hands-free teknik (HFT) och trubbiga nålar kan eventuella risker för blodexponering och en potentiell risk för blodsmitta minska.

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Fas Ligand (FasL) binds to the Fas receptor to induce apoptosis or activate other signaling pathways. FasL can also transduce "reverse signals" and thus participate in bidirectional signaling. The FasL intracellular domain contains consensus sequences for phosphorylation and a proline rich protein interaction domain. This latter region of FasL has previously been implicated in FasL reverse signaling and regulation of FasL surface expression. In this report, we sought to identify novel FasL interacting proteins to help understand signaling through and trafficking of this death factor. Using mass spectrometry, we identified sorting nexin 18, adaptin beta, Grb2, PACSIN2 and PACSIN3 as FasL interacting proteins. RNAi mediated knockdown of Grb2 significantly reduced the surface expression of FasL and increased its expression intracellularly. Our data show that Grb2 controls the subcellular localization of FasL. All other proteins identified in our screen could be classified as trafficking-associated proteins, highlighting the complex regulation of the surface expression of this death factor.

The inducible heat shock protein Hsp72 inhibits apoptosis and promotes long term survival after a number of stresses but the mechanism by which this is achieved remains unclear. A role for Hsp72 in modulating apoptosis mediated through members of the TNF-receptor super family other than TNF-R1 has not been clearly established. Given the observations of high levels of Hsp72 in tumours of poor prognosis, we set out to determine whether Hsp72 could specifically modulate apoptosis induced through the death receptor pathways mediated by Fas and the TRAIL receptors. Both these pathways are of relevance in tumour surveillance. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-102).