ABSTRACT
Apoptosis, the cell's intrinsic death program, plays a crucial role in the regulation of tissue homeostasis, and abnormal inhibition of apoptosis is an indicator of cancer and autoimmune diseases, whereas excessive cell death is implicated in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using cDNA subtraction analysis, we compared p60TRP (p60 transcription regulator protein) expressing cells with control cells during the process of apoptosis and we identified the new zinc-finger protein p48ZnF that is predominantly located in the cytoplasm of the cell. Additionally, we demonstrate here that p48ZnF is up-regulated in rat neuronal PC12 cells upon stimulation with the neurotrophic factor NGF (50 ng/ml). These findings point to a possible pivotal role of p48ZnF in the control of neuronal survival.