胱天蛋白酶CASP4的研究进展

Progress in CASP4 research

CASP4[又名ICH-2、ICE(rel)-Ⅱ、Mih1和protease TX]是胱天蛋白酶caspase(aspartate-specific cysteinyl proteinase)家族中的一员。在多种内外因素的侵袭条件下,CASP4(以及其它炎性caspases)被激活,释放促炎细胞因子并启动先天免疫反应。此外,CASP4还在肿瘤与阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer disease,AD)等疾病中发挥作用。本文将简要综述近年来CASP4的研究进展。

CASP4（also called ICH-2, ICE（rel）-Ⅱ, Mih1 and protease TX） is a member of caspase（aspartate-specific cysteinyl proteinase） family proteins. Under invasion of various pathogenic factors, CASP4（as well as other inflammatory caspases） is activated, releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and initiating innate immune responses. In addition to bacterial infection, CASP4 is also found to play a role in diseases such as tumor and Alzheimer disease. Here the progress in CASP4 research is briefly reviewed.