First Author | Yuan J | Year | 1993 |
Journal | Cell | Volume | 75 |
Issue | 4 | Pages | 641-52 |
PubMed ID | 8242740 | Mgi Jnum | J:39908 |
Mgi Id | MGI:87441 | Doi | 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90485-9 |
Citation | Yuan J, et al. (1993) The C. elegans cell death gene ced-3 encodes a protein similar to mammalian interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme. Cell 75(4):641-52 |
abstractText | 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. |