
<ArticleTitle>Link of a new type of apoptosis-inducing gene <prot>ASY</prot>/<prot>Nogo-B</prot> to human cancer.</ArticleTitle>
<AbstractText>Although apoptosis plays an essential role in the embryogenesis and homeostasis of multicellular organisms, this mechanism has not yet been fully clarified. We isolated a novel human apoptosis-inducing gene, <prot>ASY</prot>, which encodes an endoplasmic reticulum-targeting protein without any known apoptosis-related motifs. This gene is identical to the <prot>Nogo-B</prot>, a splice variant of the <prot>Nogo-A</prot> which has recently been shown to be an inhibitor of neuronal regeneration in the central nervous system. Ectopic expression of the <prot>ASY</prot> gene led to extensive apoptosis, particularly in cancer cells. Furthermore, transcription of the <prot>ASY</prot> gene was suppressed in small cell lung cancer. These results suggest that a new type of apoptosis-inducing gene, namely, <prot>ASY</prot>, may be involved in the development of certain types of cancer.</AbstractText>
