About BIRC / Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing Protein:
Put simply, Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing Protein is a human protein that is made up of the BIRC gene. It is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family and works to interfere with the activation of caspases - a family of protease enzymes that plan essential roles in programmed cell death. BIRC proteins function to modify enzymes that target proteins for proteasomal degradation, a chemical reaction that breaks down peptide bonds.
BIRC Mechanisms
The protein that is encoded by the gene binds to tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors TRAF1 and TRAF2 for example. They have also been found to have spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms.
Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing Protein interactions
Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing Protein has been shown to interact with RIPK1, CASP9, UBE2D2, TRAF1 and TRAF2.
BIRC function
BIRC2 plays a role in tumour necrosis by allowing the activaation of inflammatory and pro-survival genes and triggering the degradation of ikB alpha. BIRC1 (also known as NAIP) acts as a mediator in pathological conditions to neuronal survival and can help to prevent motor-neuron apoptosis.
Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing Protein structure
The BIRC protein contains three main BIR domains - a RING finger domain, a CARD domain and a UBA domain. The RING finger domain is a protein structural domain of zinc finger, CARD domains are interaction motifs found in proteins such as those with processes which relate to inflammation and apoptosis and UBA is a protein domain that interacts non-covalently through protein-protein interactions with ubiquitin.