Sensitivity of CD95-induced apoptosis in different proliferative status of human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Chang,  Jin Hee; Kang,  Se Woong; Ham,  Don Il

doi:2001.15.2.74

Korean J Ophthalmol > Volume 15(2); 2001 > Article

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Korean Journal of Ophthalmology 2001;15(2):74-80.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.2001.15.2.74 Published online December 30, 2001.

Sensitivity of CD95-induced apoptosis in different proliferative status of human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Jin Hee Chang, Se Woong Kang, Don Il Ham

Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

It is known that CD95 (APO-1/Fas) is expressed on the cell surface, and apoptotic cell death can be induced by the CD95 ligation in the cultured, proliferating human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. However, little is known about CD95 on the non-proliferating RPE cells. In this study, human RPE cells were cultured up to 4 weeks after they reached the confluence, to simulate the non-proliferating RPE cells in situ. There was no significant difference in CD95 expression on the cell surface between the predominantly proliferating, preconfluent cells and predominantly non-proliferating, postconfluent cells in flow cytometric assays. However, unlike proliferating cells, no cellular death occurred in the predominantly non-proliferating cells after the treatment of agonistic anti-CD95 antibody with cycloheximide, pretreated with interferon-gamma. Our results suggest that the CD95/CD95L system probably plays a physiologic role in vivo to remove the abnormal, proliferating RPE cells, and factors other than the surface expression of CD95 may determine the sensitivity to the CD95 signals.

Key Words: Apoptosis;retinal pigment epithelial cells;proliferation