| First Author | Piddubnyak V | Year | 2007 |
| Journal | Cell Death Differ | Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1222-33 |
| PubMed ID | 17380155 | Mgi Jnum | J:139271 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3807633 | Doi | 10.1038/sj.cdd.4402122 |
| Citation | Piddubnyak V, et al. (2007) Positive regulation of apoptosis by HCA66, a new Apaf-1 interacting protein, and its putative role in the physiopathology of NF1 microdeletion syndrome patients. Cell Death Differ 14(6):1222-33 |
| abstractText | As a component of the apoptosome, a caspase-activating complex, Apaf-1 plays a central role in the mitochondrial caspase activation pathway of apoptosis. We report here the identification of a novel Apaf-1 interacting protein, hepatocellular carcinoma antigen 66 (HCA66) that is able to modulate selectively Apaf-1-dependent apoptosis through its direct association with the CED4 domain of Apaf-1. Expression of HCA66 was able to potentiate Apaf-1, but not receptor-mediated apoptosis, by increasing downstream caspase activity following cytochrome c release from the mitochondria. Conversely, cells depleted of HCA66 were severely impaired for apoptosome-dependent apoptosis. Interestingly, expression of the Apaf-1-interacting domain of HCA66 had the opposite effect of the full-length protein, interfering with the Apaf-1 apoptotic pathway. Using a cell-free system, we showed that reduction of HCA66 expression was associated with a diminished amount of caspase-9 in the apoptosome, resulting in a lower ability of the apoptosome to activate caspase-3. HCA66 maps to chromosome 17q11.2 and is among the genes heterozygously deleted in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) microdeletion syndrome patients. These patients often have a distinct phenotype compared to other NF1 patients, including a more severe tumour burden. Our results suggest that reduced expression of HCA66, owing to haploinsufficiency of HCA66 gene, could render NF1 microdeleted patients-derived cells less susceptible to apoptosis. |
