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Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Identifying Caspases and their Motifs that Cleave Proteins During Influenza A Virus Infection
Published on: July 21, 2022
Targeting caspases in intracellular protozoan infections
Landi V C Guillermo1, Wânia F Pereira, Juliana De Meis
1Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Abstract:
Caspases are cysteine aspartases acting either as initiators (caspases 8, 9, and 10) or executioners (caspases 3, 6, and 7) to induce programmed cell death by apoptosis. Parasite infections by certain intracellular protozoans increase host cell life span by targeting caspase activation. Conversely, caspase activation, followed by apoptosis of lymphocytes and other cells, prevents effective immune responses to chronic parasite infection. Here we discuss how pharmacological inhibition of caspases might affect the immunity to protozoan infections, by either blocking or delaying apoptosis.
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