NOVEL CYSTEINE PROTEASE RELATED TO INTERLEUKIN-1 beta CONVERTING ENZYME

摘要

A novel human cysteine protease (referred to as Ich-2 or Bih-3) related to interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE) but having an amino acid sequence that differs by 47 % from that of ICE is disclosed. The Ich-2 protein of the invention exhibits proteolytic activity and can induce apoptosis in cells. The invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding Ich-2 (including proteolytic cleavage products, subunits, fusion proteins and non-naturally occurring homologs thereof), as well as recombinant expression vectors containing these nucleic acid molecules, host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced and non-human transgenic animals carrying an Ich-2-encoding nucleic acid. The invention further provides isolated Ich-2 proteins (including proteolytic cleavage products, subunits, fusion proteins and non-naturally occurring homologs thereof), as well as anti-Ich-2 antibodies. The invention still further provides methods for identifying modulators of Ich-2 protease activity (e.g., inhibitors and activators) and methods for modulating apoptisis in cells.