In HeLa cells, induction of apoptosis and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation initiated by TRAIL/Apo2L or the agonistic Apo1/Fas-specific monoclonal antibody anti-APO-1 require the presence of cycloheximide (CHX). Inhibition of caspases prevented TRAIL/anti-APO-1-induced apoptosis, but not NF-kappaB activation, indicating that both pathways bifurcate upstream of the receptor-proximal caspase-8. Under these conditions, TRAIL and anti-APO-1 up-regulated the expression of the known NF-kappaB targets interleukin-6, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (cIAP2), and TRAF1 (TRAF, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associate factor). In the presence of CHX, the stable overexpression of a deletion mutant of the Fas-associated death domain molecule FADD comprising solely the death domain of the molecule but lacking its death effector domain (FADD-(80-208)) led to the same response pattern as TRAIL or anti-APO-1 treatment. Moreover, the ability of death receptors to induce NF-kappaB activation was drastically reduced in a FADD-deficient Jurkat cell line. TRAIL-, anti-APO-1-, and FADD-(80-208)-initiated gene induction was blocked by a dominant-negative mutant of TRAF2 or the p38 kinase inhibitor SB203580, similar to tumor necrosis factor receptor-1-induced NF-kappaB activation. CHX treatment rapidly down-regulated endogenous cFLIP protein levels, and overexpression of cellular FLICE inhibitory protein (cFLIP) inhibited death receptor-induced NF-kappaB activation. Thus, a novel functional role of cFLIP as a negative regulator of gene induction by death receptors became apparent.