CASP8-associated protein 2, CASP8AP, FLICE-associated huge protein, CED4, RIP25
Fas is a cell-surface receptor molecule that relays apoptotic (cell death) signals into cells. When Fas is activated by binding of its ligand, the proteolytic protein caspase-8 is recruited to a signalling complex known as DISC by binding to a Fas-associated adapter protein. A new protein, FLASH, contains a motif with oligomerizing activity whose sequence is similar to that of the Caenorhabditis elegans protein CED-4, and another domain (DRD domain) that interacts with a death-effector domain in caspase-8 or in the adapter protein. FLASH is likely a component of the DISC signalling complex and is necessary for the activation of caspase-8 in Fas-mediated apoptosis.