Removal of syndecan-1 promotes TRAIL-induced apoptosis in myeloma cells.

Syndecan is the major transmembrane proteoglycan in cells. Of the four syndecans, syndecan-1 is the dominant form expressed in multiple myeloma and is an indicator of poor prognosis. In the current study, we observed that early TRAIL-induced apoptotic processes were accompanied by cleavage of syndecan-1 intracellular region, and explored the possibility whether removal of syndecan-1 promotes apoptotic processes.