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Cloning of a disintegrin metalloproteinase that processes precursor tumour-necrosis factor-α

An Erratum to this article was published on 17 April 1997

Abstract

Tumour-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a cytokine that contributes to a variety of inflammatory disease states1. The protein exists as a membrane-bound precursor2,3 of relative molecular mass 26K which can be processed by a TNF-α-converting enzyme (TACE), to generate secreted 17K mature TNF-α. We have purified TACE and cloned its complementary DNA. TACE is a membrane-bound disintegrin metalloproteinase. Structural comparisons with other disintegrin-containing enzymes indicate that TACE is unique, with noteable sequence identity to MADM4, an enzyme implicated in myelin degradation, and to KUZ5, a Drosophila homologue of MADM important for neuronal development. The expression of recombinant TACE (rTACE) results in the production of functional enzyme that correctly processes precursor TNF-α to the mature form. The rTACE provides a readily available source of enzyme to help in the search for new anti-inflammatory agents that target the final processing stage of TNF-α production.

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Moss, M., Jin, SL., Milla, M. et al. Cloning of a disintegrin metalloproteinase that processes precursor tumour-necrosis factor-α. Nature 385, 733–736 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/385733a0

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