Cisplatin augments FAS-mediated apoptosis through lipid rafts

Cisplatin is widely and effectively used for the treatment of various types of cancer. However, its biochemical mechanisms are still unelucidated. Previously, we reported that membrane sphingomyelin (SM) was important for FAS-mediated apoptosis through lipid raft function. In this study, we strikingly show that cisplatin combined with CH11 (anti-FAS antibody, IgM) was able to induce marked apoptosis in SM synthase-restored WR/Fas-SMS1 cells, but not in SM synthase-deficient WR/FAS-SM(-) cells. In addition, we demonstrated that membrane SM played an important role in cisplatin/CH11-induced apoptosis through the classical caspase-dependent pathway, mainly by enhancing the formation of FAS-associated signaling complexes.