Specifically, Fas (APO1/CD95) ligand (FasL) plays a key role in peripheral deletion of self-reactive

lymphocytes [105]. Furthermore, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a novel member of the TNF cytokine family that was originally characterized by its ability to induce apoptosis [106] and [107]. High expression of TRAIL in peripheral blood leukocytes and in lymphoid tissues such as spleen and thymus has led to the assumption that TRAIL might serve a similar PD-0332991 chemical structure role to that of FasL in the control of peripheral immune responses and in maintaining immune privilege [104]. However, despite their expression of these distinct antigens, tumor elimination by the immune system is often inefficient. Tumor cells may also evade immune attack by expressing FasL, TRAIL or other molecules that induce apoptosis in activated T cells [108]. We also observed in the previous study that tumor cells possess a potential to escape immune surveillance by killing host T lymphocytes

through several cytokines such as RCAS1 selleck chemical [109]. In the more recent study, Interleukin (IL)-23 was identified as a cancer-associated cytokine [110]. However, the precise role of IL-23 and its function at the cancer invasive front is controversial. RCAS1 is a type II membrane protein isolated as a human tumor-associated antigen by a mouse monoclonal antibody (22-1-1 antibody) against a human uterine adenocarcinoma cell line, SiSo [111]. RCAS1 acts as a ligand for a putative receptor present on immune cells such as T, B and NK cells and inhibits the growth of receptor-expressing cells, further induces apoptotic cell death [108]. These observations suggest a role of RCAS1 in the immune escape for of tumor cells. Although a variety of cancer tissues have been screened [112], [113], [114], [115], [116], [117], [118], [119] and [120] and were found to be positive for RCAS1 expression, no data exist

as to whether RCAS1 is expressed in the oral cancer. We investigated whether RCAS1 is expressed in HOSCCs or HOSCC cells and whether tumor cells which are expressing RCAS1, induce apoptosis in its receptor-positive cells, PBLs. The apoptotic index (AI) of TILs was also examined in HOSCC tissues. The correlations between RCAS1 expressions and clinicopathological variables in HOSCC and ACC tissues were summarized in Table 4a and Table 4b, and Table 4c and Table 4d, respectively. As the results, it was demonstrated that RCAS1 was frequently expressed both in HOSCC and ACC, in vitro and in vivo, and its function on KB cells clearly led apoptosis to PBLs in vitro [109]. Our results indicated that RCAS1 expression plays a key role in the immune escape mechanism of oral cancer, thus that RCAS1 expression could be used as a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with oral cancer.