What is the role of caspase-9?

Caspase-9 is a member of caspase family of cysteine proteases that have been implicated in apoptosis and cytokine processing. When cells receive apoptotic stimuli, mitochondria releases cytochrome c which then binds to Apaf-1, the mammalian Ced-4 homologue, together with dATP.

What do caspase proteins do?

Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that serve as primary effectors during apoptosis to proteolytically dismantle most cellular structures, including the cytoskeleton, cell junctions, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, and the nucleus (Taylor et al., 2008).

What would happen if the level of caspase-9 increased?

Therefore, the amount of expressed caspase-9 must be highly regulated within the cells. A too low amount of this enzyme can result in neurodegenerative diseases or malignancies, while too high an amount can cause programmed cell death. Even mild overexpression of caspase-9 triggers the death of tumor transformed cells.

What type of protein is a caspase?

Caspases (cysteine-aspartic proteases, cysteine aspartases or cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases) are a family of protease enzymes playing essential roles in programmed cell death.

How is a caspase-9 ( C9 ) antibody produced?

Caspase-9 (C9) Antibody detects endogenous levels of the pro form of caspase-9 as well as cleaved fragments. Monoclonal Antibody is produced by immunizing mice with a recombinant human caspase-9 protein. Caspase-9 (ICE-LAP6, Mch6) is an important member of the cysteine aspartic acid protease (caspase) family (1,2).

What is the role of caspase 9 in apoptosis?

Caspase-9. Caspase-9 belongs to a family of caspases, cysteine-aspartic proteases involved in apoptosis and cytokine signalling. Apoptotic signals cause the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and activation of apaf-1 ( apoptosome ), which then cleaves the pro-enzyme of caspase-9 into the active dimer form.

How does a deficiency in caspase 9 affect the brain?

A deficiency in caspase-9 largely affects the brain and its development. The effects of having a mutation or deficiency in this caspase compared to others is detrimental. The initiating role caspase-9 plays in apoptosis is the cause for the severe effects seen in those with an atypical caspase-9.

Which is the catalytic domain of caspase 9?

The caspase-9 monomer consists of one large and one small subunit, both comprising the catalytic domain. Differing from the normally conserved active site motif QACRG in other caspases, caspase-9 has the motif QACGG.