TRAIL‐Induced Apoptosis

The death ligand members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family are potent inducers of apoptosis in a variety of cell types. In particular, TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) has recently received much scientific and commercial attention because of its potent tumor cell‐killing activity while leaving normal untransformed cells mostly unaffected. Furthermore, TRAIL strongly synergizes with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in inducing tumor cell apoptosis, making it a most promising candidate for future cancer therapy. Increasing evidence indicates, however, that TRAIL may also induce or modulate apoptosis in primary cells. A particular concern is the potential side effect of TRAIL‐based tumor therapies in the liver. In this review we summarize some of the recent findings on the role of TRAIL in tumor cell and hepatocyte apoptosis.