Proteolytic cleavage of molecules involved in cell death or survival pathways: a role in the control of apoptosis?

Proteolytic modification of certain key regulatory molecules involved in apoptotic and prosurvival pathways may be a feature of the control of programmed cell death. Four molecules of the Bd-2 family (BID, Bcl-2, Bax, Bcl-X(L)) have been reported to be deaved during apoptosis, as has a cellular inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP). Two proteins involved in NF-kappaB activation, RIP and TRAF1, are cleaved during apoptosis induced by agents that activate both pathways. MEKK1, a molecule involved in a protein kinase stress signaling cascade that contributes to apoptosis and NF-kappaB activation, also undergoes cleavage. In each case, the cleavage products may result in the inactivation of a former function or the gaining of a new function, thus contributing to the delicately balanced regulation of apoptosis.