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Cultured Murine Thyroid Epithelial Cells Expressing Transgenic Fas-Associated Death Domain-Like Interleukin-1β Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Protein Are Protected from Fas-Mediated Apoptosis

From Research Service (Y.F., H.B.-M.), Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Affairs Hospital and Departments of Internal Medicine (Y.F., H.B.-M.) and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (H.B.-M.), University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri 65212

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Helen Braley-Mullen or Dr. Yujiang Fang, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Missouri, NE307 Medical Sciences, Columbia, Missouri 65212. E-mail: mullenh{at}health.missouri.edu or fangy{at}health.missouri.edu.

The antiapoptotic molecule Fas-associated death domain-like IL-1β-converting enzyme inhibitory protein (FLIP) inhibits Fas-mediated apoptosis by blocking activation of caspase-8. We previously showed that expression of transgenic FLIP on thyroid epithelial cells (TECs) of DBA/1 and CBA/J mice promoted earlier resolution of granulomatous experimental autoimmune thyroiditis in vivo. This study was undertaken to directly determine whether transgenic FLIP expressed on cultured TECs can protect TECs from Fas-mediated apoptosis in vitro. The results indicate that cultured TECs from DBA/1 and CBA/J mice can be sensitized in vitro by interferon- and TNF- to undergo Fas-mediated apoptosis. Transgenic overexpression of FLIP protected cultured TECs of FLIP transgene (Tg)+ DBA/1 and CBA/J mice from Fas-mediated apoptosis, and FLIP small interfering RNA transfection of cultured TECs of FLIP Tg+ DBA/1 and CBA/J mice abolished the protective effect. These in vitro results are consistent with our previous in vivo studies using DBA/1 and CBA/J FLIP Tg+ mice and provide direct support for the hypothesis that transgenic expression of FLIP promotes resolution of granulomatous experimental autoimmune thyroiditis by protecting TECs from apoptosis.