Tumor necrosis factor-α-converting enzyme (TACE) is a disintegrin metalloproteinase that
processes tumor necrosis factor and a host of other ectodomains. TACE is biosynthesized as
a zymogen, and activation requires the removal of an inhibitory pro domain. Little is known
about how the pro domain exerts inhibition for this class of enzymes. To study the inhibitory
properties of the pro domain of TACE, we have expressed it in isolation from the rest of the
protease. Here we show that the TACE pro domain (TACE Pro) is a stably folded protein that …