1. Home
  2. Archive
  3. July 1997
  4. Hot Paper

Cell Biology

J. Kamens, M. Paskind, M. Hugunin, R.V. Talanian, H. Allen, D. Banach, N. Bump, M. Hackett, C.G. Johnston, P. Li, J.A. Mankovich, M. Terranova, T. Ghayur, "Identification and characterization of ICH-2, a novel member of the interleukin-1b-converting enzyme family of cysteine proteases," Journal of Biological Chemistry, 270:15250-6, 1995. (Cited in nearly 100 publications through June 1997) Comments by Joanne Kamens, BASF Bioresearch Corp., Worcester, Mass. HIGH INTEREST: Joanne Kamens' paper

Ricki Lewis
Jul 20, 1997

J. Kamens, M. Paskind, M. Hugunin, R.V. Talanian, H. Allen, D. Banach, N. Bump, M. Hackett, C.G. Johnston, P. Li, J.A. Mankovich, M. Terranova, T. Ghayur, "Identification and characterization of ICH-2, a novel member of the interleukin-1b-converting enzyme family of cysteine proteases," Journal of Biological Chemistry, 270:15250-6, 1995. (Cited in nearly 100 publications through June 1997)

Comments by Joanne Kamens, BASF Bioresearch Corp., Worcester, Mass.


HIGH INTEREST: Joanne Kamens' paper reporting on the ICH-2 gene attracted attention because of caspases' role in cell death.
Interleukin-1ß converting enzyme (ICE) was once thought to be a unique enzyme with a single, straightforward function-cleaving the cytokine interleukin-1b into its active form. All that changed in 1993, when a gene in C. elegans involved in apoptosis, called Ced-3, was cloned and found to share extensive homology with ICE. Assigning two separate functions-cytokine processing and apoptosis induction-to these two homologs suggested...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member?