Underlying mechanisms of cAMP- and glucocorticoid-mediated inhibition of FasL expression in activation-induced cell death

► AICD regulates T cell homeostasis and is mainly dependent on Fas/FasL engagement. ► Glucocorticoids (GCs) and cAMP inhibit AICD and TCR/CD3-induced FasL expression. ► We investigated intracellular targets of GCs and cAMP in FasL expression. ► We found NF-κB as a common target and that ERK-MAPK is additionally inhibited by cAMP. ► The proper chromatinization status of FasL promoter is critical for this regulation.