Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death, deregulation of which occurs in multiple disorders, including neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer. The formation of a death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) and death effector domain (DED) filaments are critical for initiation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of DED-containing DISC components such as FADD, procaspase-8, and c-FLIP comprise an additional level of apoptosis regulation, which is necessary to overcome the threshold for apoptosis induction. In this review we discuss the influence of PTMs of FADD, procaspase-8, and c-FLIP on DED filament assembly and cell death induction, with a focus on the 3D organization of the DED filament. Death Effector Domain (DED) Proteins in Extrinsic Apoptosis Signaling In multicellular organisms, tissue homeostasis is maintained through a fine-tuned balance between cell proliferation and cell death [1-5]. Several physiological and pathological stimuli have been reported to trigger programmed cell death [6]. Apoptosis can be induced via two pathways: the extrinsic and the intrinsic or mitochondrial pathway [2] (Figure 1). The extrinsic pathway is triggered upon binding of death ligands, including CD95 ligand (CD95L) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) to death receptors (DRs) such as Fas/CD95 and TRAIL receptor-1/2 (TRAILR1/2), respectively [7]. This association leads to the recruitment of proteins with death domains (DD) such as Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) to the DD of CD95 or TRAIL-R1/2, resulting in the formation of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) [8,9], which in turn directs cleavage and activation of caspases for inducing apoptosis. DISC is comprised of procaspase-8/10 and cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP). Upon induction of apoptosis, the DED of FADD interacts with DEDs of procaspase-8, procaspase-10, and c-FLIP, resulting in the formation of DED-filaments, which serve as a platform for procaspase-8 dimerization and subsequent activation [10-12] (Figure 1). DED belongs to the DD superfamily [3,13]. DED comprises six α-helixes arranged in a Greek key structural motif. FADD contains one DD and one DED, whereas both caspase-8 and c-FLIP contain two DEDs at their N terminus. DED filaments are formed through so-called type I, II, and III interactions between DEDs (Box 1) [12]. Proper architecture of DED filaments at DR complexes provide an extra layer of regulatory control of cell death. Recent findings are revealing a role for post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, SUMOylation, and nitrosylation in regulating these interactions [6,14-17]. These modifications assist in maintaining proper conformations of DEDs in DED filaments, which is required for efficient caspase-8 activation, and in overcoming a threshold for apoptosis induction [18,19]. In this review, we consider the role of PTMs in controlling the mechanisms of DISC and DED filament...