| The tumor suppressor WARTS activates the Omi / HtrA 2 dependent pathway of cell death . ^^^ Here , we show that WARTS binds via its C terminus to the PDZ domain of a proapoptotic serine protease Omi / HtrA 2 . ^^^ Depletion of WARTS inhibited Omi / HtrA 2 mediated cell death , whereas overexpression of WARTS promoted this process . ^^^ Furthermore , WARTS can enhance the protease activity of Omi / HtrA 2 both in vivo and in vitro . ^^^ Activation of Omi / HtrA 2 mediated cell death is thus a potential mechanism for the tumor suppressive activity of WARTS . . ^^^ |