To obtain the recombinant tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE) ectodomain and use it as a selective molecule for the screening of TACE peptide inhibitors, the cDNA coding catalytic domain (T800) and full-length ectodomain (T1300) of TACE were amplified by RTPCR, and the expression plasmids were constructed by inserting T800 and T1300 into plasmid pET28a and pET-28c respectively. The recombinant T800 and T1300 were induced by IPTG, and SDSPAGE and West blotting analysis results revealed that T800 and T1300 were highly expressed in the form of inclusion body. After Ni2+-NTA resin affinity chromatography, the recombinant proteins were used in the screening of TACE-binding peptides from phage display peptide library respectively. After 4 rounds of biopanning, the positive phage clones were analyzed by ELISA, competitive inhibition assay and DNA sequencing. A common amino acid sequence (TRWLVYFSRPYLVAT) was found and synthesized. The synthetic peptide could inhibit the TNF-α release from LPS-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) up to 60.3 %. FACS analysis revealed that the peptide mediated the accumulation of TNF-α on the cell surface. These results demonstrate that the TACE-binding peptide is an effective antagonist of TACE.