Decoy Receptor 2

Decoy receptor 2 (DcR2, TNFRSF10D, also TRAIL-R4 or CD264) is a membrane-spanning member of the TRAIL receptor subgroup that binds TRAIL with high affinity but delivers only a truncated, anti-apoptotic signal. Its defining structural feature is a death domain that is truncated and non-functional: although DcR2 possesses a genuine transmembrane region and cytoplasmic tail, the corrupted death domain cannot recruit FADD or caspase-8 to assemble the death-inducing signaling complex. Beyond ligand competition, DcR2 actively interferes with apoptosis by forming heteromeric complexes with DR5, dominantly impairing death receptor oligomerization, and by activating NF-κB weakly through TRAF2 recruitment, which induces anti-apoptotic gene expression. DcR2 is widely expressed in normal tissues and is frequently upregulated in tumors of the lung, breast, colon, brain and hematopoietic system, contributing to TRAIL resistance. Genetic polymorphisms and epigenetic regulation of DcR2 influence susceptibility to cancer and the efficacy of TRAIL-receptor agonist therapies.