title: Spodoptera frugiperda caspase-1, a novel insect death protease that cleaves the nuclear immunophilin FKBP46, is the target of the baculovirus antiapoptotic protein p35.
abstract: Employing the degenerate primer-dependent polymerase chain reaction approach used recently to clone human Mch2, we have identified and cloned the insect Spodoptera frugiperda target of the baculovirus antiapoptotic protein p35. This protein named Sf caspase-1 belongs to the family of caspases and is highly related to human Mch3 and CPP32 in sequence and specific activity. The proenzyme of Sf caspase-1 is 299 amino acids in length and can undergo autocatalytic processing in Escherichia coli to an active enzyme heterocomplex. Autoprocessing occurs at Asp-28, Asp-184, and Asp-195 to generate the large p19/p18 and small p12 subunits. Sf caspase-1 is able to induce apoptosis in Sf9 cells and is capable of cleaving p35 to similar sized fragments as observed with extracts from p35 null mutant baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells. Sf caspase-1 activity is potently inhibited by p35, suggesting that it is an important target of this antiapoptotic protein. Finally, the Sf9 nuclear immunophilin FKBP46 was identified as a death-associated substrate for Sf caspase-1.
authors.affiliation: Center for Apoptosis Research, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and the Kimmel Cancer Institute, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Srinivasula
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Litwack
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fernandes-Alnemri
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Alnemri
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020170:Caspase 1; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000201:enzymology*; D022021:Tacrolimus Binding Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C086430:inhibitor of apoptosis, Nucleopolyhedrovirus; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D020170:Caspase 1; D022021:Tacrolimus Binding Proteins