Publication
Title
Caspases in cell survival, proliferation and differentiation
Author
Abstract
Caspases, a family of evolutionarily, conserved cysteinyl proteases, mediate both apoptosis and inflammation through aspartate-specific cleavage of a wide number of cellular substrates. Most substrates of apoptotic caspases have been conotated with cellular dismantling, while inflammatory caspases mediate the proteolytic activation of inflammatory cytokines. Through detailed functional analysis of conditional caspase-deficient mice or derived cells, caspase biology has been extended to cellular responses such as cell differentiation, proliferation and NF-KB activation. Here, we discuss recent data indicating that non-apoptotic functions of caspases involve proteolysis exerted by their catalytic domains as well as non-proteolytic functions exerted by their prodomains. Homotypic oligomerization motifs in the latter mediate the recruitment of adaptors and effectors that modulate NF-KB activation. The non-apoptotic functions of caspases suggest that they may become activated independently of - or without - inducing an apoptotic cascade. Moreover, the existence of non-catalytic caspase-like molecules such as human caspase-12, c-FLIP and CARD-only proteins further supports the non-proteolytic functions of caspases in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and inflammation.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Cell death and differentiation. - Oxford
Publication
Oxford : 2007
ISSN
1350-9047
DOI
10.1038/SJ.CDD.4402047
Volume/pages
14 :1 (2007) , p. 44-55
ISI
000242850600006
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 18.10.2018
Last edited 25.01.2023
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