Database search strategies used to isolate cell death proteins.
The identification of proteins involved in the early phases of cell death has relied primarily on the modular organization of shared sequences and structural motifs of previously identified proteins in the apoptotic machinery. This property has facilitated the isolation of proteins that interact with each other through structural domains using yeast two-hybrid cloning. Likewise, the conservation in primary sequence of the various shared domains has promoted the use of polymerase chain reaction and database search strategies to isolate additional family members. Here, we discuss the use of database search strategies in the isolation of novel death proteins, as well as how similar strategies may be extended to discover additional, novel cell death proteins.
Gururajan
R
R
Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 332 North Lauderdale Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA. rajagopal.gururajan@stjude.org
Kidd
V J
VJ
D017209:Apoptosis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019992:Databases as Topic; D020407:Internet; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012984:Software
D011506:Proteins