Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Radial Mobility and Cytotoxic Function of Retroviral Replicating Vector Transduced, Non-adherent Alloresponsive T Lymphocytes
10:01

Radial Mobility and Cytotoxic Function of Retroviral Replicating Vector Transduced, Non-adherent Alloresponsive T Lymphocytes

Published on: February 11, 2015

Selective effect of tumor necrosis factor on transformed versus nontransformed cells: nonselective signal recognition

A Schulz1, G Bauer

  • 1Abteilung Virologie, Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.

Anticancer Research
|December 29, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) triggers cell death by reducing survival factors in transformed cells. Nontransformed cells resist TNF-induced apoptosis due to higher initial survival factor levels.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Endogenous survival factors regulate apoptosis.
  • Transformed cells have lower survival factor levels than nontransformed cells.
  • Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) can induce apoptosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the differential response of transformed and nontransformed fibroblasts to TNF treatment.
  • To elucidate the role of endogenous survival factors in TNF-induced apoptosis.
  • To explain the sensitizing effect of cycloheximide on TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis.

Main Methods:

  • Cell culture of transformed and nontransformed fibroblasts.
  • Treatment with TNF and cycloheximide.
  • Quantification of endogenous survival factors.
  • Assessment of apoptosis induction.

Main Results:

  • TNF treatment down-modulates endogenous survival factors in both cell types.
  • Transformed cells undergo apoptosis due to sufficient down-modulation of survival factors.
  • Nontransformed cells are protected from apoptosis by higher initial survival factor concentrations.
  • TNF signaling perception is similar, but regulatory setup differs quantitatively.

Conclusions:

  • Differential sensitivity to TNF-induced apoptosis is determined by the quantitative levels of endogenous survival factors.
  • Lower initial survival factor concentrations in transformed cells predispose them to TNF-induced cell death.
  • Cycloheximide sensitizes cells to TNF-alpha by further inhibiting survival factor production.

More Related Videos

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death09:18

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death

Published on: December 27, 2016

Transfer of Manipulated Tumor-associated Neutrophils into Tumor-Bearing Mice to Study their Angiogenic Potential In Vivo08:19

Transfer of Manipulated Tumor-associated Neutrophils into Tumor-Bearing Mice to Study their Angiogenic Potential In Vivo

Published on: July 20, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors01:27

Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are cell-surface receptors acting as an enzyme or associating with an enzyme intracellularly. They make excellent drug targets. Drugs can bind to the extracellular ligand-binding domain or directly affect their enzymatic domain and alter their activity.
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.