DR5 is a receptor for TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), which has been been shown to induce apoptosis in variety of cell types and has been targeted for cancer therapy. Structurally, DR5 contains an amino-terminal leader cleavage site followed by an extracellular region containing two cysteine-rich repeats, then a central transmembrane domain and a carboxy-terminal death domain. DR5 is expressed in a wide variety of tissues and is transcriptional target for p53. It induces apoptosis through a FADD-dependent pathway. Deletion of DR5 leads to resistance in TRAIL-mediated apoptosis as well as an abrogated response to DNA-damaging stimuli.
