Originally identified as a cell surface receptor that triggered the death of lymphocytes and tumor cells, it is now recognized that Fas (also known as CD95 or Apo-1) has distinct functions in the ...

The original idea was logical. FasL expressed on tissues would engage the Fas receptor expressed on the surfaces of immune cells, causing them to undergo programmed cell death (Fig. 1).

Demjen et al. therefore asked instead whether a less ambivalent death receptor, CD95/Fas, might be involved. They first confirmed that in their model, spinal cord injury led to rapid upregulation ...