胱冬肽酶非依赖性的细胞程序性死亡

Caspase-independent Programmed Cell Death

在多细胞有机体的组织内稳态维持和正常发育过程中,细胞程序性死亡发挥着重要的作用。细胞程序性死亡有多种形式(如细胞凋亡、类细胞凋亡和类坏死等),其中了解较清楚的是细胞凋亡。一直以来,胱冬肽酶(caspase)被认为是细胞凋亡发生中关键的一种蛋白酶。但是最近的研究表明,包括细胞凋亡在内的一些细胞程序性死亡可以以一种不依赖胱冬肽酶的方式发生。细胞程序性死亡与胱冬肽酶之间存在非依赖性关系。

Programmed cell death (PCD) plays essential role in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. It can be defined into various forms (apoptosis, apoptosis-like PCD and necrosis-like PCD). Apoptosis is expounded relatively clearly among them. It is believed that caspases are crucial executors in all programmed cell death. Recently, however, much evidence indicated that some forms of programmed cell death, including apoptosis, can happen without the involvement of caspases. In this review, we summarized caspase- independent programmed cell death.