Fas and Fas ligand interactions in malignant disease

Apoptosis has been implicated in tumor development and progression. Fas (CD95) and Fas ligand (FasL) are an interacting receptor ligand pair that elicits apoptosis in many cell types. Although originally described as proteins regulating peripheral immune tolerance, accumulating evidence suggests that Fas/FasL may play an important role in carcinogenesis, tumor outgrowth, and metastasis. This review summarizes our current knowledge about the regulation of Fas and FasL expression, Fas signaling, soluble Fas production, the role(s) of Fas and FasL in hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic tumorigenesis and progression, and the potential application of Fas-induced apoptosis in cancer therapy.