MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE GENE FOR HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA CONVERTING-ENZYME (IL1BC)

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) mediates a wide range of immune and inf lammatory responses. The active cytokine is generated by proteolytic c leavage of an inactive precursor by a protease called the IL-1 beta co nverting enzyme (ICE). A cDNA encoding this protease was recently isol ated. A human genomic clone containing the ICE gene (IL1BC) was isolat ed using the cDNA as a probe. The gene consists of 10 exons spanning a t least 10.6 kb. 5'-anchored polymerase chain reaction indicated a sin gle transcription start site similar to 33 bp upstream of the initiato r Met codon. The 5'-flanking region does not have an apparent TATA box but may contain an initiator (Inr) promoter element. However, transcr iptional activity could not be detected with a fusion gene containing the 5'-flanking region linked to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetylt ransferase gene (CAT) when transfected into the human acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1. Using the genomic IL1BC clone, we have confi rmed the localization of the gene to chromosome 11 band q22.2-q22.3 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.