Investigation Reaches a Conclusion in the Cause of the Predetermined Cellular Death

A debate that stretched over a period of ten years regarding what type of Fas ligand which is a molecular communicator plays the prime role in cellular killings in the process of apoptosis has reached a conclusion. This research was undergone by the scientists from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. The investigation was financed by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the United States Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

The apoptosis represents the process of killing cells in a predetermined manner. This programmed cellular death is very important for the human body because it defends the organisms against the cancer tumors evolution and counteracts various illnesses which comprise the harmful activity of the human immune system in the case things go wrong and the latter starts attacking its own cells or organs. Examples of such immune system diseases are lupus and insulin-dependent diabetes.

The activation of the apoptosis process is achieved by some proteins that are located on the cellular surface. One of these notorious proteins is the Fas ligand which can be found in two forms, either linked to the cellular membrane or as a secretion of the cell. This protein located on the cellular surface ties to the Fas which is a receptor located also on the cell`s surface.

Professor Andreas Strasser is co-head of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute`s department of Molecular Genetics of Cancer. His counterpart is Professor Jerry Adams. The first has been striving over the period of ten years to reach a conclusion regarding the notorious medical debate. Professor Strasser underwent a research in order to observe if either the Fas ligand protein that was tied to the cellular membrane or the form that was secreted or both of these variants provoked cellular killing.

As the co-head of the Molecular Genetics of Cancer department states the research community found itself at the core of a decade long debate contesting which variant of the Fas ligand protein is the one that kills cells and which of the versions could produce inflammations. His investigation group managed to discover that the actor who played the greatest role in cellular death was the form of Fas ligand which was connected to the cell`s membrane. Thus, they established that this version of the protein acts as a protector against the inflammation of the lymph nodes entitled lymphadenopathy, autoimmunity illnesses and cancer, as well.

This investigation regarding the notorious research debate was published in the Nature journal. The research was accomplished with the aid of doctor Lorraine O’Reilly, Lin Tai and doctor Lorraine Robb. All these three researchers come from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, but the first two work in the department of Molecular Genetics of Cancer and the latter works in the Cancer and Haematology division.

This recent investigation proved at the same time that even though the secreted form of the Fas ligand protein does not play any part in causing cellular death; if it exists in large quantities it can favor the cancer tumors` growth and autoimmune illnesses` evolution.

As the leading investigator of the study states his team observed that in specific autoimmune diseases and some variants of leukemia or lymphoma, the secreted form of the Fas ligand protein is found in excessive amounts in the human body. Hence their investigation proved that this form of the cell surface protein could cause inflammations and is harmful in excessive quantities and the autoimmune conditions and some types of leukemia or lymphoma cause swelling in the tissues, medics would be able to counteract or mitigate some of the symptoms of these illnesses by counteracting the secreted form of the protein with the help of antibodies or substance receptors.

The group of investigators from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute managed to draw a conclusion for the debate which lasted for ten years. They managed to accurately state the roles both forms of the Fas ligand protein. Nowadays, the team of researchers underwent a new study in order to observe the effects over the molecules in case the secreted form of the Fas ligand is found in excessive quantities in the human body and these pathways` part regarding autoimmune illnesses and leukemia or lymphomas.