摘要：

Apoptosis requires recruitment of caspases by receptor-associated adaptors through homophilic interactions between the CARDs (ca spase r ecruitment d omains) of adaptor proteins and prodomains of caspases. We have solved the CARD structure of the RAIDD adaptor protein that recruits ICH-1/caspase-2. It consists of six tightly packed helices arranged in a topology homologous to the Fas death domain. The surface contains a basic and an acidic patch on opposite sides. This polarity is conserved in the ICH-1 CARD as indicated by homology modeling. Mutagenesis data suggest that these patches mediate CARD/CARD interaction between RAIDD and ICH-1. Subsequent modeling of the CARDs of Apaf-1 and caspase-9, as well as Ced-4 and Ced-3, showed that the basic/acidic surface polarity is highly conserved, suggesting a general mode for CARD/CARD interaction.

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