A Study to Investigate the Role of GULP/ CED 6 Gene in “Eat Me” Signaling in Cellular Efferocytosis and Immunosurveillance

Abstract

In this report, investigations were done to study human GULP/ CED 6 genes role in presenting cancer cells to scavenger cells. CED 6 SiRNA was used to knock out the gene in Astrocytoma (HTB-12) cell lines to study its effects on expression of various “eat me” signals on these cells including Phosphatidyl serine (PtdSer) expression, nitric oxide (NO) signaling and Leukotrine B4 (LTB4) expression and Caspase 3 activation. Investigations were done by fluorescence microscopy techniques, ELISA assay and colorimetric assays using a standard microplate reader and spectrophotometer. Initial results showed all the above mentioned “eat me” signals were significantly decreased in CED 6 knock out cell lines. Therefore CED 6 gene must have a role in cancer cell clearance, pathway involved in the cross talk between CED 6 and other genes in this process is a matter of farther investigation.