A novel gene, Genes associated with Retinoid IFN induced Mortality (GRIM) GRIM19 gene was identified. Antisense expression of GRIM19 confers a strong resistance against IFN/RA induced death by reducing the intracellular levels of GRIM19 protein. Overexpression of GRIM19 enhances cell death in response to IFN/RA. GRIM19 is primarily a nuclear protein whose expression is induced by the IFN/RA combination. These data indicate that GRIM19 is a novel cell death regulatory molecule.