Journal
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
Volume 17, Issue 12, Pages 1487-1496Publisher
COLD SPRING HARBOR LAB PRESS, PUBLICATIONS DEPT
DOI: 10.1101/gad.1097903
Keywords
apoptosis; mitochondria; Omi/HtrA2; Smac; IAPs; caspases
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Omi/HtrA2 is a mitochondrial serine protease that is released into the cytosol during apoptosis to antagonize inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs) and contribute to caspase-independent cell death. Here, we demonstrate that Omi/HtrA2 directly cleaves various IAPs in vitro, and the cleavage efficiency is determined by its IAP-binding motif, AVPS. Cleavage of IAPs such as c-IAP1 substantially reduces its ability to inhibit and ubiquitylate caspases. In contrast to the stoichiometric anti-IAP activity by Smac/DIABLO, Omi/HtrA2 cleavage of c-IAP1 is catalytic and irreversible, thereby more efficiently inactivating IAPs and promoting caspase activity. Elimination of endogenous Omi by RNA interference abolishes c-IAP1 cleavage and desensitizes cells to apoptosis induced by TRAIL. In addition, overexpression of cleavage-site mutant c-IAP1 makes cells more resistant to TRAIL-induced caspase activation. This IAP cleavage by Omi is independent of caspase. Taken together, these results indicate that unlike Smac/DIABLO, Omi/HtrA2's catalytic cleavage of IAPs is a key mechanism for it to irreversibly inactivate IAPs and promote apoptosis.
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