Caspases are cysteine proteases that play an essential role in apoptosis. Initial activation of
caspases defines the key step in apoptotic execution. Based on primary structure, caspases
can be divided into two groups, those with long amino-terminal prodomains (class I), and
those with relatively short prodomains (class II). On overexpression in mammalian cells,
class I caspases can induce cell death that is dependent on their autocatalytic activity.
Recent studies suggest that the long prodomains in some class I caspases are able to …