Patent ID: 7374909

Claim:
An isolated DNA sequence comprising a sequence encoding a polypeptide which enhances the level of cell death induced by FAS-R, p55 TNF-R or RIP, said polypeptide comprising: (a) a sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:1; (b) a sequence comprising an analog of (a) which comprises amino acid residues 1-454, 244-540 or 315-540 of SEQ ID NO:1 and has no more than ten changes in the amino acid sequence of (a), each said change being a substitution, deletion or insertion of a single amino acid outside said amino acid residues 1-454, 244-540 or 315-540 of SEQ ID NO:1, which analog enhances the level of cell death induced by FAS-R, p55 TNF-R or RIP; or (c) a fragment of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, which fragment comprises amino acid residues 1-454, 244-540 or 315-540 of SEQ ID NO:1 and enhances the level of cell death induced by FAS-R, p55 TNF-R or RIP.