ICE-LIKE PROTEASES EXECUTE THE NEURONAL DEATH PROGRAM

The past year has witnessed significant advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that kill neurons during programmed cell death. The executioners are members of a family of proteases founded by ced-3, th e product of a gene that is required for programmed cell death in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and by mammalian interleukin-1 beta-c onverting enzyme. These proteases represent interesting novel targets for the therapy of acute and chronic pathologies of the nervous system associated with neuronal death.