Interaction of Drosophila inhibitors of apoptosis with thick veins, a type I serine/threonine kinase receptor for decapentaplegic

Decapentaplegic (Dpp) is a Drosophila member of bone morphogenetic proteins, which belong to the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. Members of this family regulate a variety of biological processes such as cell proliferation, morphogenesis, immune response, and apoptosis. Dpp plays a critical role in many aspects of Drosophila development. Members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily bind to two different types of serine/threonine kinase receptors, termed type I and type II. Type I receptors act as downstream components of type II receptors in the receptor complexes. Therefore, intracellular proteins that interact with the type I receptors are likely to play important roles in signaling. Several proteins have been identified through protein-protein interaction screenings. We identified Drosophila inhibitor of apoptosis (DIAP) 1 as an interacting protein of a Dpp type I receptor, Thick veins (Tkv). DIAP1 associates with Tkv in vivo. The binding region in DIAP1 is mapped to its C-terminal RING finger region. DIAP2, another Drosophila member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, also interacts with Tkv in vivo. These data suggest that DIAP1 and DIAP2 may be involved, possibly as negative regulators, in the Dpp signaling pathway, which leads to cell apoptosis.