PROSITE documentation PDOC00864Caspase family signatures and profiles
Interleukin-1 β converting enzyme (EC 3.4.22.36) (ICE) [1,2] is responsible for the cleavage of the IL-1 β precursor at an Asp-Ala bond to generate the mature biologically active cytokine. ICE a thiol protease composed of two subunits of 10 (p10) and 20 Kd (p20), both derived by the autocleavage of a 45 Kd precursor (p45). Two residues are implicated in the catalytic mechanism: a cysteine and an histidine. They are located in the P20 subunit after cleavage of the precursor. ICE belongs to a family of peptidases [3] which is implicated in programmed cell death (apoptosis) and which has been termed 'caspase' for cysteine aspase. ICE is known as Caspase-1 and the other members of this family [4] are:
- Caspase-2 (ICH-1, NEDD-2).
- Caspase-3 (also known as apopain, CPP32, Yama), a protease which, at the onset of apoptosis, proteolytically cleaves poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (see <PDOC00360>) at an Asp-Gly bond.
- Caspase-4 (ICH-2, TX, ICErel-II).
- Caspase-5 (ICH-3, TY, ICErel-III).
- Caspase-6 (MCH-2).
- Caspase-7 (MCH-3, ICE-LAP3, CMH-1, SCA-2, LICE2).
- Caspase-8 (MCH-5, MACH, FLICE).
- Caspase-9 (MCH-6, ICE-LAP6).
- Caspase-10 (MCH-4, FLICE2).
- Caspase-11.
- Caspase-12.
- Caspase-13 (ERICE).
- Caspase-14.
- Caenorhabditis elegans ced-3 involved in the initiation of apoptosis.
- Drosophila Ice.
We have developed signature patterns for both active site residues. We also developed two profiles, one specific for the caspase P10 subunit and one for the caspase P20 subunit.
Note:These proteins belong to family C14 in the classification of peptidases [5,E1].
Last update:December 2004 / Patterns and text revised.
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PROSITE methods (with tools and information) covered by this documentation:
| 1 | Authors | Thornberry N.A. Molineaux S.M. |
| Title | Interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme: a novel cysteine protease required for IL-1 beta production and implicated in programmed cell death. | |
| Source | Protein Sci. 4:3-12(1995). | |
| PubMed ID | 7773174 |
| 2 | Authors | Kumar S. |
| Title | ICE-like proteases in apoptosis. | |
| Source | Trends Biochem. Sci. 20:198-202(1995). | |
| PubMed ID | 7610484 |
| 3 | Authors | Nicholson D.W. Thornberry N.A. |
| Title | Caspases: killer proteases. | |
| Source | Trends Biochem. Sci. 22:299-306(1997). | |
| PubMed ID | 9270303 |
| 4 | Authors | Alnemri E.S. Livingston D.J. Nicholson D.W. Salvesen G. Thornberry N.A. Wong W.W. Yuan J. |
| Title | Human ICE/CED-3 protease nomenclature. | |
| Source | Cell 87:171-171(1996). | |
| PubMed ID | 8861900 |
| 5 | Authors | Rawlings N.D. Barrett A.J. |
| Title | Evolutionary families of peptidases. | |
| Source | Biochem. J. 290:205-218(1993). | |
| PubMed ID | 8439290 |
| E1 | Title | https://www.uniprot.org/docs/peptidas |
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