ICE CED3-LIKE PROTEASES AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR THE CONTROL OF INAPPROPRIATE APOPTOSIS/

Excessive or failed apoptosis is a prominent morphological feature of several human diseases. Many of the key biochemical players that contr ibute to the highly ordered process of apoptotic cell death have recen tly been identified. These include members of the emerging family of c ysteine proteases related to mammalian interleukin-1 beta converting e nzyme (ICE) and to CED-3, the product of a gene that is necessary for programmed cell death in the nematode C. elegans. Among a growing numb er of potential molecular targets for the control of human diseases wh ere inappropriate apoptosis is prominent, ICE/CED-3-like proteases may be an attractive and tangible point for therapeutic intervention.