Cutting edge: Protective effects of Notch-1 on TCR-induced apoptosis

The Notch receptor protein was originally identified in Drosophila and is k nown to mediate cell to cell communication and influence cell fate decision s, Members of this family have been isolated from invertebrates as well as vertebrates. We isolated mouse Notch-1 in a yeast two-hybrid screen with Nu r77, which is a protein that has been shown previously to be required for a poptosis in T cell lines. The data presented below indicate that Notch-1 ex pression provides significant protection to T cell lines from TCR-mediated apoptosis, These data demonstrate a new antiapoptotic role for Notch-1, pro viding evidence that, in addition to regulating cell fate decisions, Notch- 1 can play a critical role in controlling levels of cell death in T cells.