INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA CONVERTING-ENZYME - A NOVEL CYSTEINE PROTEASE REQUIRED FOR IL-1-BETA PRODUCTION AND IMPLICATED IN PROGRAMMED CELL-DEATH

Interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme is the first member of a new clas s of cysteine proteases. The most distinguishing feature of this famil y is a nearly absolute specificity for cleavage at aspartic acid. This enzyme has been the subject of intense research because of its role i n the production of IL-1 beta, a key mediator of inflammation. These s tudies have culminated in the design of potent inhibitors and determin ation of its crystal structure. The structure secures the relationship of the enzyme to CED-3, the product of a gene required for programmed cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting that members of this family function in cell death in vertebrates.