Programmed cell death (PCD) is a functional concept that refers to cell death that is part of the normal life of a multicellular organism; it involves controlled disassembly of the cell. In animal systems PCD is synonymous with apoptosis, a cell death process characterized by a distinct set of morphological and biochemical features, mediated by a class of specific Cys proteases called cysteinyl...

The complex process of apoptosis is orchestrated by caspases, a family of cysteine proteases with unique substrate specificities. Accumulating evidence suggests that cell death pathways are finely tuned by multiple signaling events, including direct phosphorylation of caspases, whereas kinases are often substrates of active caspases. Importantly, caspase-mediated cleavage of kinases can termina...

Caspases are cysteinyl-aspartate-specific proteinases known for their role in apoptosis (cell death or apoptotic caspases) and proinflammatory cytokine maturation (inflammatory caspases). The inflammatory caspases were among the first to be discovered, but only recently have the mechanisms leading to their activation and inhibition begun to be elucidated. In this review, we examine the biochemi...