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Caspase Protocols in Mice

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Caspases,Paracaspases, and Metacaspases

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1133))

Abstract

Members of the caspase family of proteases are evolutionarily conserved cysteine proteases that play a crucial role as the central executioners of the apoptotic pathway. Since the discovery of caspases, many methods have been developed to detect their activation and are widely used in basic and clinical studies. In a mouse tissue, caspase activation can be monitored by cleavage of caspase-specific synthetic substrates and by detecting cleaved caspase by western blot analysis of the tissue extract. In tissue sections, active caspase can be detected by immunostaining using specific antibodies to the active caspase. In addition, among the myriads of caspase-specific substrates known so far, cleaved fragments produced by caspases from the substrates such as PARP, lamin A, and cytokeratin-18 can be monitored in tissue sections by immunostaining as well as western blots of tissue extracts. In general, more than one method should be used to ascertain detection of activation of caspases in a mouse tissue.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by NIH grant R01 DK081690 and VA Merit Award to G.P.K. and VA Merit Award to R.S.H.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Hendrix College, Conway, AR, USA

    Varsha Kaushal

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Christian Herzog & Gur P. Kaushal

  3. Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Randy S. Haun & Gur P. Kaushal

  4. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Randy S. Haun

Authors
  1. Varsha Kaushal
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  2. Christian Herzog
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  3. Randy S. Haun
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  4. Gur P. Kaushal
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Plant Biology & Forest Genetics, Swedish Univ of Agricultural Sciences Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden

    Peter V. Bozhkov

  2. Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Inst. Apoptosis & Cell Death Research Prgm, La Jolla, California, USA

    Guy Salvesen

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Kaushal, V., Herzog, C., Haun, R.S., Kaushal, G.P. (2014). Caspase Protocols in Mice. In: V. Bozhkov, P., Salvesen, G. (eds) Caspases,Paracaspases, and Metacaspases. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1133. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0357-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0357-3_9

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0356-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0357-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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