title: Fas-associated death domain protein interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme 2 (FLICE2), an ICE/Ced-3 homologue, is proximally involved in CD95- and p55-mediated death signaling.
abstract: The pivotal discovery that Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD) interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme (FLICE)/MACH was recruited to the CD95 signaling complex by virtue of its ability to bind the adapter molecule FADD established that this protease has a role in initiating the death pathway (Boldin, M. P., Goncharov, T. M. , Goltsev, Y. V., and Wallach, D. (1996) Cell 85, 803-815; Muzio, M., Chinnaiyan, A. M., Kischkel, K. C., O'Rourke, K., Shevchenko, A., Ni, J., Scaffidi, C., Bretz, J. D., Zhang, M., Gentz, R., Mann, M., Krammer, P. H., Peter, M. E., and Dixit, V. M. (1996) Cell 85, 817-827). In this report, we describe the cloning and characterization of a new member of the caspase family, a homologue of FLICE/MACH, and Mch4. Since the overall architecture and function of this molecule is similar to that of FLICE, it has been designated FLICE2. Importantly, the carboxyl-terminal half of the small catalytic subunit that includes amino acids predicted to be involved in substrate binding is distinct. We show that the pro-domain of FLICE2 encodes a functional death effector domain that binds to the corresponding domain in the adapter molecule FADD. Consistent with this finding, FLICE2 is recruited to both the CD95 and p55 tumor necrosis factor receptor signaling complexes in a FADD-dependent manner. A functional role for FLICE2 is suggested by the finding that an active site mutant of FLICE2 inhibits CD95 and tumor necrosis factor receptor-mediated apoptosis. FLICE2 is therefore involved in CD95 and p55 signal transduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vincenz
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Dixit
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000502:physiology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D053455:Caspase 10; D020169:Caspases; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000502:physiology*; D053200:Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein; D015870:Gene Expression; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000502:physiology*; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D015703:Antigens, CD; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C505533:FADD protein, human; D053200:Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D019014:fas Receptor; D053455:Caspase 10; D020169:Caspases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C089223:ced-3 protein, C elegans; C105036:interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme 2