A mouse Fas-associated protein with homology to the human Mort1/FADD protein is essential for Fas-induced apoptosis.
The Fas cell surface receptor belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor family and can initiate apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Using the Fas cytoplasmic domain as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screening, we isolated a mouse cDNA encoding a 205-amino-acid protein. Its predicted protein sequence shows 68% identity and 80% similarity with the sequence of recently described human Mort/FADD. This protein, most likely the mouse homolog of human FADD, associates with Fas in vivo only upon the induction of cell death. A fraction of this protein is highly phosphorylated at serine/threonine residues, with both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms being capable of binding to FAS. Stable expression of a truncated form of the Mort/FADD protein protects cells from Fas-mediated apoptosis by interfering with the wild-type protein-Fas interaction. Thus, mouse Mort/FADD is an essential downstream component that mediates Fas-induced apoptosis.
Zhang
J
J
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley 94720-3200, USA.
Winoto
A
A
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D053200:Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C505533:FADD protein, human; C505534:Fadd protein, mouse; D053200:Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein; D019014:fas Receptor