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. 1998 Mar 6;273(10):5841-5.
doi: 10.1074/jbc.273.10.5841.

Caspase-9, Bcl-XL, and Apaf-1 form a ternary complex

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Free article

Caspase-9, Bcl-XL, and Apaf-1 form a ternary complex

G Pan et al. J Biol Chem. .
Free article

Abstract

Genetic analysis of apoptosis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has revealed the cell death machine to be composed of three core interacting components. CED-4 (equivalent to mammalian Apaf-1) is a nucleotide binding molecule that complexes with the zymogen form of the death protease CED-3, leading to its autoactivation and cell death. CED-9 blocks death by complexing with CED-4 and attenuating its ability to promote CED-3 activation. An equivalent ternary complex was found to be present in mammalian cells involving Apaf-1, the mammalian death protease caspase-9, and Bcl-XL, an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family. Consistent with a central role for caspase-9, a dominant negative form effectively inhibited cell death initiated by a wide variety of inducers.

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