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The Biology of Caspases

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Apoptosis, Cell Signaling, and Human Diseases

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Summary

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a vital part of the normal development of metazoans. PCD requires a conserved class of cysteine proteases, termed caspases, to affect the controlled demise of cells. When the regulatory pathways controlling cell death are perturbed through mutation, disease states, including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders, can occur. Therefore, caspases and the molecules regulating their function are potential candidates for therapeutic targets. This chapter describes caspase structure, regulation, and function in the context of biological function and the specific roles they play in the protection of living systems. A section is also dedicated to the emerging field concerning the nonapoptotic functions of “apoptotic” caspases in development.

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Authors
  1. Tasman James Daish
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  2. Sharad Kumar
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX

    Rakesh Srivastava

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© 2006 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Daish, T.J., Kumar, S. (2006). The Biology of Caspases. In: Srivastava, R. (eds) Apoptosis, Cell Signaling, and Human Diseases. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-199-4_17

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