Caspases: Enemies Within

作者：Nancy A. Thornberry, Yuri A. Lazebnik · 发表于：Science · 年份：1998 · DOI：10.1126/science.281.5381.1312 · 被引用次数：6943 · 研究领域：Cell death mechanisms and regulation、Autophagy in Disease and Therapy、Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation

Apoptosis, an evolutionarily conserved form of cell suicide, requires specialized machinery. The central component of this machinery is a proteolytic system involving a family of proteases called caspases. These enzymes participate in a cascade that is triggered in response to proapoptotic signals and culminates in cleavage of a set of proteins, resulting in disassembly of the cell. Understanding caspase regulation is intimately linked to the ability to rationally manipulate apoptosis for therapeutic gain.