TRUNDD, a new member of the TRAIL receptor family that antagonizes TRAIL signalling

Abstract

TRAIL/Apo‐2L induces rapid apoptosis of a variety of tumor cell lines. A family of tumor necrosis factor receptor‐related molecules have been identified as receptors for TRAIL. Herein, we report the identification of another member of the TRAIL receptor family, TRUNDD (TRAIL receptor with a truncated death domain). The TRUNDD transcript was detected in multiple human tissues. TRUNDD is highly homologous to all known TRAIL receptors and has an extracellular TRAIL‐binding domain but lacks a functional intracellular death domain and does not induce apoptosis. Consistent with an inhibitory role, ectopic expression of TRUNDD attenuated TRAIL‐induced apoptosis in mammalian cells.