title: Caspases.
abstract: Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases with a strict specificity for aspartate residues involved in inflammatory process and programmed cell death. This overview unit provides basic information on their structure, enzymatic activity, substrate specificity, activation,inhibition and their implication in pathologies. It is intended to be an overview for investigators that are unfamiliar with this family of enzymes but it is also applicable to scientists pursuing research in this field.
authors.affiliation: The Burnham Institute, La Jolla, California.
authors.forename: Jean-Bernard
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Denault
authors.affiliation: The Burnham Institute, La Jolla, California.
authors.forename: Guy S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Salvesen
mesh_terms: D020169:Caspases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004194:Disease / Q000209:etiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases