The tumor necrosis factor family member Fas ligand (FasL) induces apoptosis in Fas receptor-expressing target cells and is an important cytotoxic effector molecule used by CTL-and NK-cells. In these hematopoietic cells, newly synthesized FasL is stored in specialized secretory lysosomes and only delivered to the cell surface upon activation and target cell recognition. FasL contains an 80-amino acid-long cytoplasmic tail, which includes a proline-rich domain as a bona fide Src homology 3 domain-binding site. This proline-rich domain has been implicated in FasL sorting to secretory lysosomes, and it may also be important for reverse signaling via FasL, which has been described to influence T-cell activation. Here we report the identification of the Src homology 3 domaincontaining adaptor protein PSTPIP as a FasL-interacting partner, which binds to the proline-rich domain. PSTPIP co-expression leads to an increased intracellular localization of Fas ligand, thereby regulating extracellular availability and cytotoxic activity of the molecule. In addition, we demonstrate recruitment of the tyrosine phosphatase PTP-PEST by PSTPIP into FasLâ
PSTPIPâ
PTP-PEST complexes which may contribute to FasL reverse signaling.Fas ligand (FasL 3 ; CD95/APO-1 ligand, CD178, TNFSF6) is a 281-amino acid (aa)-long type II transmembrane molecule belonging to the large TNF family of proteins that bind to and activate members of the TNF receptor family (1, 2). FasL and its corresponding receptor Fas (CD95/APO-1) both interact as oligomers (3), and the activated Fas receptor complex initiates a proapoptotic death signal in the receptorbearing cell (4, 5).Although mainly known for its death-promoting activity, FasL has also been studied in the context of further nonapoptotic functions (1, 2, 6). Such experiments are motivated by the special structure of this type II transmembrane protein. In addition to its hydrophobic transmembrane domain, which anchors the molecule within the plasma membrane, and to its extracellular ectodomain, responsible for binding to its receptor, the FasL protein possesses an 80-aa-long N-terminal intracellular part that is responsible for the transduction of (extracellular) signals into FasL-bearing cells and/or that may fulfill regulatory functions. Such a "reverse signaling" has been described in mouse T-cells, which display an altered proliferative behavior upon triggering of their FasL surface molecules (7-9). Results obtained with mouse Sertoli cells, in which FasL engagement leads to mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, as measured by an increase in Erk phosphorylation, also imply stimulatory FasL reverse signaling (10).The importance of the intracellular domain for FasL function and regulation is underlined by its high homology among different species (7,11,12). Several signaling motives within the FasL intracellular domain are highly conserved, including a tandem casein kinase I phosphorylation site (aa 17-21 (11)), a phosphorylatable tyrosine at position 7, a proline-rich region (aa 40 -70) with bona...