Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
Published on: March 5, 2018
Caspases, IAPs and Smac/DIABLO: mechanisms from structural biology
1Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Abstract:
Caspases are the central component of the apoptotic machinery that irreversibly commits a cell to die. Whereas all caspases are structurally similar, those involved in apoptosis can be categorized functionally as either initiator or effector caspases, which are activated by distinct mechanisms. The activated caspases are subject to inhibition by the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins. This inhibition can be removed by Smac/DIABLO during apoptosis. The underlying molecular mechanisms of caspase regulation are discussed in this article.
Related Concept Videos
Caspases
Assembly of Signaling Complexes
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...

