Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an essential physiological process that plays a critical role in development and tissue homeostasis. The progress of apoptosis is regulated in an orderly way by a series of signal cascades under certain circumstances. The caspase-cascade system plays vital roles in the induction, transduction and amplification of intracellular apoptotic signals. Caspases, closely associated with apoptosis, are aspartate-specific cysteine proteases and members of the interleukin-1β-converting enzyme family. The activation and function of caspases, involved in the delicate caspase-cascade system, are regulated by various kinds of molecules, such as the inhibitor of apoptosis protein, Bcl-2 family proteins, calpain, and Ca2+. Based on the latest research, the members of the caspase family, caspase-cascade system and caspase-regulating molecules involved in apoptosis are reviewed. © Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, SIBS, CAS.
CITATION STYLE
Fan, T. J., Han, L. H., Cong, R. S., & Liang, J. (2005). Caspase family proteases and apoptosis. Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica, 37(11), 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7270.2005.00108.x
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