Abstract
Apoptosis, a form of cellular suicide, involves the activation of CED-3-related cysteine proteases (caspases). The regulation of caspases by apoptotic signals and the precise mechanism by which they kill the cell remain unknown. In Drosophila, different death-inducing stimuli induce the expression of the apoptotic activator reaper. Cell killing by reaper and two genetically linked apoptotic activators, hid and grim, requires caspase activity. A Drosophila caspase, named Drosophila caspase-1 (DCP-1), was identified and found to be structurally and biochemically similar to Caenorhabditis elegans CED-3. Loss of zygotic DCP-1 function in Drosophila caused larval lethality and melanotic tumors, showing that this gene is essential for normal development.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Apoptosis*
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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Caspases*
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Cloning, Molecular
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Cysteine Endopeptidases / chemistry
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Cysteine Endopeptidases / genetics
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Cysteine Endopeptidases / metabolism*
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DNA Fragmentation
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DNA Transposable Elements
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Drosophila / embryology
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Drosophila / enzymology*
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Drosophila / genetics
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Drosophila Proteins
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Embryo, Nonmammalian / enzymology
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Gene Deletion
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Genes, Insect
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HeLa Cells
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Helminth Proteins / chemistry
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Helminth Proteins / metabolism
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Humans
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Mutation
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RNA, Messenger / genetics
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RNA, Messenger / metabolism
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Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Substances
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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DNA Transposable Elements
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Drosophila Proteins
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Helminth Proteins
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RNA, Messenger
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Caspases
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Cysteine Endopeptidases
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Dcp-1 protein, Drosophila
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ced-3 protein, C elegans