The C. elegans cell death gene ced-3 encodes a protein similar to mammalian interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme.
We have cloned the C. elegans cell death gene ced-3. A ced-3 transcript is most abundant during embryogenesis, the stage during which most programmed cell deaths occur. The predicted CED-3 protein shows similarity to human and murine interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme and to the product of the mouse nedd-2 gene, which is expressed in the embryonic brain. The sequences of 12 ced-3 mutations as well as the sequences of ced-3 genes from two related nematode species identify sites of potential functional importance. We propose that the CED-3 protein acts as a cysteine protease in the initiation of programmed cell death in C. elegans and that cysteine proteases also function in programmed cell death in mammals.
Yuan
J
J
Program of Neurosciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Shaham
S
S
Ledoux
S
S
Ellis
H M
HM
Horvitz
H R
HR
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D020170:Caspase 1; D020169:Caspases; D016923:Cell Death; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017354:Point Mutation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020169:Caspases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C089223:ced-3 protein, C elegans; D020170:Caspase 1; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases