Description | Ced-4 is a family of apoptosis proteins from nematodes. Caenorhabditis elegans has three genes, ced-3, ced-4 and ced-9, which code for the components of an induction pathway of apoptosis that is conserved in the nematode and mammals. Homologues in have also been found in Drosophila [ ]. Egl-1 binds to and directly inhibits the activity of ced-9, releasing the cell death activator ced-4 from a ced-9/ced-4 containing protein complex. This allows ced-4 to activate the cell-killing caspase ced-3 []. It regulates CEP neuron apoptosis in response to high Al3+ levels []. It may regulate germline apoptosis in response to DNA damage, probably downstream of let-60/ras and mpk-1 pathway [, ]. During larval development, Ced-4 is required for the elimination of transient presynaptic components downstream of egl-1 and ced-9 and upstream of ced-3 apoptotic pathway []. It has also been described that, together with ain-1, it is a component of the miRNA-induced-silencing complex (miRISC), and probably upstream of ced-3, regulates temporal cell fate patterning during larval development [].Apoptosis, or programmed cell death (PCD), is a common and evolutionarily conserved property of all metazoans [ ]. In many biological processes, apoptosis is required to eliminate supernumerary or dangerous (such as pre-cancerous) cells and to promote normal development. Dysregulation of apoptosis can, therefore, contribute to the development of many major diseases including cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative disorders. In most cases, proteins of the caspase family execute the genetic programme that leads to cell death. | Name | Cell death protein 4 |
Short Name | Ced-4 | Type | Family |