Abstract
The aspartate-specific caspases are critical protease effecters of programmed cell death and consequently represent important targets for apoptotic intervention. Baculovirus P35 is a potent substrate inhibitor of metazoan caspases, a property that accounts for its unique effectiveness in preventing apoptosis in phylogenetically diverse organisms. Here we report the 2.2 Å resolution crystal structure of P35, the first structure of a protein inhibitor of the death caspases. The P35 monomer possesses a solvent-exposed Loop that projects from the protein's main P-sheet core and positions the requisite aspartate cleavage site at the loop's apex. Distortion or destabilization of this reactive site loop by site-directed mutagenesis converted P35 to an efficient substrate which, unlike wild-type P35, failed to interact stably with the target caspase or block protease activity. Thus, cleavage alone is insufficient for caspase inhibition. These data are consistent with a new model wherein the P35 reactive site loop participates in a unique multi-step mechanism in which the spatial orientation of the loop with respect to the P35 core determines post-cleavage association and stoichiometric caspases.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2031-2039 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | EMBO Journal |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 8 |
State | Published - Apr 15 1999 |
Keywords
- Apoptosis
- Baculovirus
- Caspase inhibitor
- Crystallography
- P35
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Cell Biology