Acinus Background Information The complex process of apoptosis requires the systematic activation of cysteine proteases, the condensation of chromatin and the fragmentation of DNA. Chromatin condensation occurs following the proteolytic activation of the caspases and the subsequent induction of the nuclear protein Acinus (apoptotic chromatin condensation inducer in the nucleus). Various isoforms of Acinus, which are generated from alternative splicing patterns, include AcinusL, AcinusS and AcinusS’. Acinus is ubiquitously expressed and predominantly localized to the nucleus, where it associates with both the nuclear membrane and the nucleoplasm. Combined in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that during apoptosis caspase-3 cleaves the carboxy-terminus of Acinus to generate the soluble protein p23, which is essential for inducing chromatin condensation.
Acinus (2005C3a)
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Acinus (2005C3a): sc-81177 Western Blot analysis of Acinus expression in A2058 whole cell lysate.
Acinus (2005C3a): sc-81177 Western Blot analysis of human recombinant Acinus fusion protein.
Acinus (2005C3a): sc-81177. Western blot analysis of Acinus expression in Jurkat (A) and K-562 (B) nuclear extracts.