This invention relates to Inf-20, a novel apoptosis regulator, that in one embodiment is induced by TNF. The gene, designated inflammation-20 (Inf-20), encodes a polypeptide of 184 amino acids. In one embodiment Inf-20 comprises a conserved death effector domain (DED) that is capable of interacting with caspase-8, but not with Fas-associated death domain (FADD) protein.