Abstract
The nematode CED-4 protein and its human homolog Apaf-1 play a central role in apoptosis by functioning as direct activators of death-inducing caspases. A novel human CED-4/Apaf-1 family member called CARD4 was identified that has a domain structure strikingly similar to the cytoplasmic, receptor-like proteins that mediate disease resistance in plants. CARD4 interacted with the serine-threonine kinase RICK and potently induced NF-kappaB activity through TRAF-6 and NIK signaling molecules. In addition, coexpression of CARD4 augmented caspase-9-induced apoptosis. Thus, CARD4 coordinates downstream NF-kappaB and apoptotic signaling pathways and may be a component of the host innate immune response.
Highlights
The nucleotide sequence(s) reported in this paper has been submitted to the GenBankTM/EBI Data Bank with accession number(s) AF126484
CARD4, a Novel CED-4/Apaf-1 Family Member taining proteins identified from the expressed sequence tags (EST) search
The N-terminal region of CARD4 shares significant sequence similarity with CARD motifs found in a variety of apoptotic signaling molecules, including those found in CED-4 and Apaf-1 (Fig. 1B)
Summary
The nucleotide sequence(s) reported in this paper has been submitted to the GenBankTM/EBI Data Bank with accession number(s) AF126484. The presence of CARD motifs in a variety of other effector and signaling molecules, including numerous caspases [6] and a recently identified NF-B-activating kinase [7,8,9], suggests that other CED-4/Apaf-1 family members likely exist in humans to coordinate downstream stress responses. We report here the identity and characterization of a novel human CED-4/Apaf-1 family member that activates NF-B and apoptotic signaling pathways.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
