Back to Search
Start Over
Inhibition of CED-3 zymogen activation and apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans by caspase homolog CSP-3.
- Source :
-
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology . Oct2008, Vol. 15 Issue 10, p1094-1101. 8p. 4 Diagrams, 1 Chart, 1 Graph. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins have a crucial role in apoptosis, through negative regulation of caspases in species from fruitflies to mammals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, however, no IAP homolog or caspase inhibitor has been identified, calling into question how the cell-killing caspase CED-3 can be negatively regulated. Here we show that inactivation of the C. elegans csp-3 gene, which encodes a protein similar to the small subunit of the CED-3 caspase, causes cells that normally live to undergo apoptosis in a CED-3–dependent manner. Biochemical analysis reveals that CSP-3 associates with the large subunit of the CED-3 zymogen and inhibits zymogen autoactivation. However, CSP-3 does not block CED-3 activation induced by CED-4, nor does it inhibit the activity of the activated CED-3 protease. Therefore CSP-3 uses a previously unreported mechanism to protect cells from apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *CAENORHABDITIS elegans
*ENZYME inhibitors
*APOPTOSIS
*ENZYMES
*HOMOLOGY (Biology)
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15459993
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 10
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 34612338
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.1488