Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Quantification of Cytokine-Induced Cell Death in Human Colonic Organoids Using Live Fluorescence Microscopy
10:03

Quantification of Cytokine-Induced Cell Death in Human Colonic Organoids Using Live Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: August 2, 2024

Modulation of death receptors by cancer therapeutic agents

Heath A Elrod1, Shi-Yong Sun

  • 1Department of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.

Cancer Biology & Therapy
|December 7, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Death receptors, especially TRAIL death receptors (DR4/DR5), selectively induce cancer cell apoptosis. Cancer therapies can modulate these receptors to enhance cell death, making them promising therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Therapeutics
  • Apoptosis Signaling

Background:

  • Death receptors are key regulators of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway.
  • TRAIL death receptors (DR4/DR5) induce apoptosis selectively in cancer cells.
  • TRAIL-based therapies are in clinical trials for cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the modulation of death receptors by cancer therapeutic agents.
  • To discuss the implications of this modulation for cancer therapy.
  • To highlight death receptors as critical targets for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on death receptor modulation by cancer drugs.
  • Analysis of how chemotherapeutic agents affect death receptor expression and function.
  • Discussion of clinical trial data for TRAIL-based therapies.

Main Results:

  • Chemotherapeutic agents can induce or redistribute death receptors (DR4/DR5) on cancer cells.
  • These agents can enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis or overcome resistance.
  • Targeted activation of death receptors offers a strategy for cancer elimination.

Conclusions:

  • Modulating death receptors, particularly TRAIL receptors, is a viable cancer therapeutic strategy.
  • Combined approaches using chemotherapy and TRAIL-based therapies show promise.
  • Death receptors represent a significant target for future cancer treatments.

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

MEDUSA for Identifying Death Regulatory Genes in Chemo-genetic Profiling Data07:17

MEDUSA for Identifying Death Regulatory Genes in Chemo-genetic Profiling Data

Published on: February 7, 2025

Related Concept Videos

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs01:15

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that  lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR  stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive  EGFR activation may...
Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the 20th century...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
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...
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...