Alix, a novel mouse protein undergoing calcium-dependent interaction with the apoptosis-linked-gene 2 (ALG-2) protein

Cell Death Differ. 1999 Feb;6(2):124-9. doi: 10.1038/sj.cdd.4400456.

Abstract

ALG-2 is a EF hand calcium binding protein with sequence homologies to calmodulin. Vito et al have shown that ALG-2 expression is required for apoptosis following a number of death stimuli,1 although nothing is known about the effectors which underlie ALG-2 function. Here we have used ALG-2 as bait in a yeast two hybrid screen of a mouse brain cDNA library. We found that ALG-2 binds to itself and to a novel protein that we call ALG-2 interacting protein X, Alix. Using co-immunoprecipitation experiments, we confirmed ALG-2/ALG-2 binding and demonstrated that this interaction is calcium independent. ALG-2/Alix interaction was also validated by co-immunoprecipitation, but in this case, the binding was found to be strictly calcium dependent. Alix seems highly conserved throughout evolution since it shows significant homologies to a putative C. elegans protein (YNK-1) and to proteins of A. nidulans (PalA) and S. cerevisiae (BRO1). Alix is a potential regulator or downstream effector of ALG-2 action.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / genetics*
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*
  • Calcium / pharmacology
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics*
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Conserved Sequence / genetics
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation / genetics
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Protein Binding
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Transfection

Substances

  • ALX-1 protein, C elegans
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • PALA protein, Emericella nidulans
  • Pdcd6 protein, mouse
  • Pdcd6ip protein, mouse
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Calcium

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AJ005073
  • GENBANK/AJ005074