This gene encodes a protein that is a member of the cysteine-aspartic acidprotease (caspase) family. Sequential activation of caspases plays a central role in the execution-phase of cell apoptosis.[4] Caspases exist as inactive proenzymes that undergo proteolytic processing at conserved aspartic residues to produce two subunits, large and small, that dimerize to form the active enzyme. This protein is processed by caspases 7, 8 and 10, and is thought to function as a downstream enzyme in the caspase activation cascade. Caspase 6 can also undergo self-processing without other members of the caspase family.[8]Alternative splicing of this gene results in two transcript variants that encode different isoforms.[9]
Caspase-6 plays a role in the early immune response via de-repression. It reduces the expression of the immunosuppressant cytokine interleukin-10[5] and cleaves the macrophage suppressing IRAK-M.[6]
↑Tiso N, Pallavicini A, Muraro T, Zimbello R, Apolloni E, Valle G, Lanfranchi G, Danieli GA (Oct 1996). "Chromosomal localization of the human genes, CPP32, Mch2, Mch3, and Ich-1, involved in cellular apoptosis". Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 225 (3): 983–9. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1996.1282. PMID8780721.
↑Fernandes-Alnemri T, Litwack G, Alnemri ES (Aug 1995). "Mch2, a new member of the apoptotic Ced-3/Ice cysteine protease gene family". Cancer Res. 55 (13): 2737–42. PMID7796396.
↑Cowling V, Downward J (Oct 2002). "Caspase-6 is the direct activator of caspase-8 in the cytochrome c-induced apoptosis pathway: absolute requirement for removal of caspase-6 prodomain". Cell Death Differ. 9 (10): 1046–56. doi:10.1038/sj.cdd.4401065. PMID12232792.
↑Guo Y, Srinivasula SM, Druilhe A, Fernandes-Alnemri T, Alnemri ES (Apr 2002). "Caspase-2 induces apoptosis by releasing proapoptotic proteins from mitochondria". J. Biol. Chem. 277 (16): 13430–7. doi:10.1074/jbc.M108029200. PMID11832478.
Fernandes-Alnemri T, Litwack G, Alnemri ES (1995). "CPP32, a novel human apoptotic protein with homology to Caenorhabditis elegans cell death protein Ced-3 and mammalian interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme". J. Biol. Chem. 269 (49): 30761–4. PMID7983002.
Bullrich F, Fernandes-Alnemri T, Litwack G, Alnemri ES, Croce CM (1997). "Chromosomal mapping of cell death proteases CPP32, MCH2, and MCH3". Genomics. 36 (2): 362–5. doi:10.1006/geno.1996.0476. PMID8812467.
Srinivasula SM, Fernandes-Alnemri T, Zangrilli J, Robertson N, Armstrong RC, Wang L, Trapani JA, Tomaselli KJ, Litwack G, Alnemri ES (1996). "The Ced-3/interleukin 1beta converting enzyme-like homolog Mch6 and the lamin-cleaving enzyme Mch2alpha are substrates for the apoptotic mediator CPP32". J. Biol. Chem. 271 (43): 27099–106. doi:10.1074/jbc.271.43.27099. PMID8900201.
Kim TW, Pettingell WH, Jung YK, Kovacs DM, Tanzi RE (1998). "Alternative cleavage of Alzheimer-associated presenilins during apoptosis by a caspase-3 family protease". Science. 277 (5324): 373–6. doi:10.1126/science.277.5324.373. PMID9219695.
Srinivasula SM, Ahmad M, Ottilie S, Bullrich F, Banks S, Wang Y, Fernandes-Alnemri T, Croce CM, Litwack G, Tomaselli KJ, Armstrong RC, Alnemri ES (1997). "FLAME-1, a novel FADD-like anti-apoptotic molecule that regulates Fas/TNFR1-induced apoptosis". J. Biol. Chem. 272 (30): 18542–5. doi:10.1074/jbc.272.30.18542. PMID9228018.
Harvey KF, Harvey NL, Michael JM, Parasivam G, Waterhouse N, Alnemri ES, Watters D, Kumar S (1998). "Caspase-mediated cleavage of the ubiquitin-protein ligase Nedd4 during apoptosis". J. Biol. Chem. 273 (22): 13524–30. doi:10.1074/jbc.273.22.13524. PMID9593687.
Utz PJ, Hottelet M, Le TM, Kim SJ, Geiger ME, van Venrooij WJ, Anderson P (1999). "The 72-kDa component of signal recognition particle is cleaved during apoptosis". J. Biol. Chem. 273 (52): 35362–70. doi:10.1074/jbc.273.52.35362. PMID9857079.
Samejima K, Svingen PA, Basi GS, Kottke T, Mesner PW, Stewart L, Durrieu F, Poirier GG, Alnemri ES, Champoux JJ, Kaufmann SH, Earnshaw WC (1999). "Caspase-mediated cleavage of DNA topoisomerase I at unconventional sites during apoptosis". J. Biol. Chem. 274 (7): 4335–40. doi:10.1074/jbc.274.7.4335. PMID9933635.
van de Craen M, de Jonghe C, van den Brande I, Declercq W, van Gassen G, van Criekinge W, Vanderhoeven I, Fiers W, van Broeckhoven C, Hendriks L, Vandenabeele P (1999). "Identification of caspases that cleave presenilin-1 and presenilin-2. Five presenilin-1 (PS1) mutations do not alter the sensitivity of PS1 to caspases". FEBS Lett. 445 (1): 149–54. doi:10.1016/S0014-5793(99)00108-8. PMID10069390.