Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
10:37

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: August 27, 2013

Fas engagement induces neurite growth through ERK activation and p35 upregulation

Julie Desbarats1, Raymond B Birge, Manuelle Mimouni-Rongy

  • 1Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1Y6. Julie@desbarats.mcgill.ca

Nature Cell Biology
|January 25, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Fas receptor engagement promotes neurite growth in sensory neurons by activating the ERK pathway. This signaling also accelerates nerve regeneration and functional recovery after injury in vivo.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Fas (CD95) is a death receptor involved in apoptosis and growth signaling.
  • The role of Fas in neuronal growth and regeneration is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Fas in primary sensory neuron growth and nerve regeneration.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying Fas-mediated neurite outgrowth.

Main Methods:

  • Crosslinking Fas on primary sensory neurons in vitro.
  • Analyzing the extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) pathway activation and p35 upregulation.
  • Assessing sciatic nerve injury recovery in Fas-deficient (lpr) mice and with anti-Fas antibody treatment in vivo.

Main Results:

  • Fas crosslinking induced neurite growth via sustained ERK pathway activation and p35 upregulation.
  • Fas-deficient mice showed delayed functional recovery after sciatic nerve injury.
  • Administration of anti-Fas antibodies accelerated nerve regeneration and functional recovery.

Conclusions:

  • Fas acts as an inducer of neurite growth in primary sensory neurons.
  • Fas signaling contributes to nerve regeneration and functional recovery after injury in vivo.

More Related Videos

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Active ERK in the C. elegans Germline08:40

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Active ERK in the C. elegans Germline

Published on: November 29, 2016

An Efficient Protocol to Assess ERK Activity Modulation in Early Zebrafish Noonan Syndrome Models via Live FRET Microscopy and Immunofluorescence09:58

An Efficient Protocol to Assess ERK Activity Modulation in Early Zebrafish Noonan Syndrome Models via Live FRET Microscopy and Immunofluorescence

Published on: May 2, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Enzyme-linked Receptors01:00

Enzyme-linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are proteins that act as both receptor and enzyme, activating multiple intracellular signals. This is a large group of receptors that include the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. Many growth factors and hormones bind to and activate the RTKs.
Neurotrophin (NT) receptors are a family of RTKs, including trkA, trkB, and trkC (tropomyosin-related kinase) receptors. TrkA is specific for nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-6, and neurotrophin-7. TrkB binds...
The Unfolded Protein Response01:37

The Unfolded Protein Response

The ER is the hub of protein synthesis in a cell. It has robust systems to quality control protein folding and also for degradation of terminally misfolded proteins. Under normal conditions, a small proportion of misfolded proteins that cannot be salvaged need to be transported to the cytoplasm by the ER-associated degradation or ERAD pathways. However, if the ERAD cannot handle the misfolded proteins, the cell activates the unfolded protein response or UPR to adjust the protein folding...
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...
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze the...
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...