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Life and death decisions: the role of the IAPs in modulating programmed cell death

P Liston1, S S Young, A E Mackenzie

  • 1ApoptoGen Inc., Canada.

Apoptosis : an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death
|January 1, 1997
PubMed

Insights

Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins (IAPs) are crucial for cell death regulation. This review details IAP family members and their roles in apoptosis, including neuroprotection by NAIP.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Multicellular organisms utilize signal transduction pathways to control cell proliferation and death for homeostasis.
  • Programmed cell death (apoptosis) regulation is a key area of research, leading to the identification of numerous regulatory proteins.
  • Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins (IAPs) are a conserved family of death-suppressing proteins, initially found in baculoviruses and now identified across species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins (IAPs) research.
  • To highlight the diverse roles and functions of different IAP family members.
  • To discuss the involvement of IAPs in specific cellular pathways and disease contexts.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research on IAPs.
  • Analysis of protein families and their evolutionary conservation.
  • Examination of IAPs' roles in signal transduction pathways, including TNFalpha-induced cell death.
  • Investigation of IAP involvement in genetic disorders and disease models.

Main Results:

  • IAPs are highly conserved death-suppressing proteins with homologs in viruses, insects, and mammals.
  • HIAP-1 and HIAP-2 are implicated in the TNFalpha-induced cell death pathway.
  • XIAP exhibits broad suppressor activity against various apoptotic triggers.
  • NAIP, linked to spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), demonstrates neuroprotective effects in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • IAPs represent a critical family of proteins involved in regulating apoptosis across diverse organisms.
  • Specific IAPs like HIAP-1, HIAP-2, XIAP, and NAIP have distinct roles in cell death control and disease.
  • NAIP's neuroprotective function suggests potential therapeutic relevance for neurological disorders like SMA.

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