Key Protein in Activating Cell Death Is Identified

A key protein that is an integral component of the pathway leading to programmed cell death has been identified, which may lead to implications for regulating cell death and as well as the development of new treatments for some cancers and autoimmune diseases.

The new finding builds on previous research by Dr. Doug Green, Ph.D. and a team of scientists at La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (San Diego, CA, USA), where Dr. Green and his team found that the mitochondria triggers the proteins called caspases to kill the cell. In the current study, the scientists found that the caspases accomplish this by going back into the mitochondria and destroying one key protein (NDUSF1), which in turn accelerates the destruction of the entire cell.

"This is one of the key steps for efficient dismantling of the cell,” said Dr. Green. "We feel that this event in the dying cell is part of the message which tells the immune system whether to create an immune response or not.”

Although it sounds contradictory, cell death is key to life. Programmed cell death is necessary to maintain health as unneeded or unhealthy cells in the body are killed off to leave room for what is vital. Cancer occurs when cells reproduce out of control and lose the capacity to undergo programmed cell death. The new research was published in the June 11, 2004, issue of Cell.