APAF1 Products

Apaf 1 (apoptosis protease-activating factor-1) is a key regulator of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway (reviewed in Campioni et al, 2005), being the central element of the multimeric apoptosome. The apoptosome consists of cytochrome c, procaspase-9 and seven Apaf 1 monomers, and is considered to be core apoptotic machinery that executes mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Cytochrome c, normally compartmentalized in the mitochorndria, is released into the cytoplasm following apoptotic stimuli. Apaf 1 binds cytochrome c in the cytoplasm and in the presence of dATP/ATP forms the apoptosome. The apoptosome binds procaspase-9 and promotes its autocatalytic activation. Active caspase-9, in turn, activates downstream caspases including 3, 6, and 7 contributing to the proteolytic caspase activation cascade which leads to cell death. Apaf 1 is an approx. 130 kDa protein. Alternative Apaf 1 splicing isoforms of Apaf 1 have been identified in mammalian cells, each having either or both an 11 amino acid insertion in the N-terminus and an additional WD40 repeat (43 aa) in the C-terminus; please refer to AceView of NCBI (http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/IEB/Research/Acembly/) for detailed information. Additionally, Apaf 1 can be proteolytically processed by active caspase-3 during apoptosis resulting in an Apaf 1 cleavage fragment of ~84 kDa (Lauber et al. 2001).

Gene ID:317