New work in Drosophila has identified a link between dying cells and compensatory proliferation of neighbouring survivor cells. Activation of initiator caspases in the dying cells stimulates the production of hydrogen peroxide, which orchestrates tissue repair via macrophages and TNF signalling.

Members of the caspase family of proteases transmit the events that lead to apoptosis of animal cells. Distinct members of the family are involved in both the initiation and execution phases of cell death, with the initiator caspases being recruited to multicomponent signaling complexes. Initiation of apoptotic events depends on the ability of the signaling complexes to generate an active prote...

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a vital role in the progression of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) via inducing activation of Caspases and Caspase cascade. This review focuses on the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway involved in Caspase activation and its participation in PD progression. Oxidative stress, ER stress, environmental toxins, alongside genetic mutations and excitotoxicity can stimulate activ...

The inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of proteins are highly conserved through evolution. However, the mechanisms by which these proteins interfere with apoptotic cell death have been enigmatic. Recently, we showed that one of the human IAP family proteins, XIAP, can bind to and potently inhibit specific cell death proteases (caspases) that function in the distal portions of the proteolytic c...

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of symptomatic epilepsies. TLE is associated with neurodegeneration that can be either the cause or consequence of the underlying pathology or a result of the recurrent spontaneous seizures. Therefore, understanding of the mechanisms of degenerative processes is crucial in designing of new drug therapies for TLE. Caspases are proteolytic enzy...

A subgroup of caspase family of inflammatory caspases (-1, -4, -5, -11, and -12) play important role during cytokine maturation and inflammation but their regulation is not well understood as much as the initiator and effector caspases. Here, the biochemical mechanism of caspase-4 activation is elucidated. With citrate, a well-known kosmotrope to enhance the monomer-dimer transition, caspase-4 ...

The main effectors of apoptosis are proteases belonging to the caspase family. Caspases represent key mediators in the initiation and execution of the apoptotic program. The apoptotic caspases constitute a minimal two-step signaling pathway that culminates in the controlled demise of the affected cell. At the center of intense research for more than a decade and a half, a thorough picture of th...