ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD, also known as TMS1or PYCARD) is a member of the CARD-containing adaptor protein family. The TMS1 gene was originally found to be aberrantly methylated and silenced in breast cancer cells, and has since been found to be silenced in a number of other cancers, including ovarian cancer, glioblastoma, melanoma, gastric cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer. In normal cells, this protein is localized to the cytoplasm; however, in cells undergoing apoptosis, it forms ball-like aggregates near the nuclear periphery.
