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Article: Caspase generates protein fragments with Smac/Diablo-like activities.
- Article from:
- Biotech Week
- Article date:
- December 17, 2003
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2003 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Substrate cleavage by caspases generates protein fragments with Smac/Diablo-like activities.
"Smac/Diablo and HtrA2/Omi promote apoptosis by binding to and antagonizing IAP proteins, including the 'X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis' (XIAP). Here we show that caspase-mediated proteolysis of a limited subset of cell death substrates exposes functional Smac/Diablo-like N-termini after cleavage, which are able to bind to and antagonize XIAP," scientists in Canada report.
"We propose that this mechanism may establish a feedforward sensitization of the apoptotic pathway and contribute to the functional ...