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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death
Published on: January 20, 2023
Caspase 9 is essential for herpes simplex virus type 2-induced apoptosis in T cells
Michael J Vanden Oever1, Jin-Young Han
1Department of Pediatrics and Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Translational Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Abstract:
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) induces apoptosis in T cells by a caspase-dependent mechanism. Apoptosis can occur via extrinsic (death receptor) and/or intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathways. Here, we show that the initiator caspase for the intrinsic pathway is activated in T cells following HSV-2 exposure. To determine the respective contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, we assessed apoptosis in Jurkat cells that are deficient in caspase 8 or Fas-associating protein with death domain (FADD) for the extrinsic pathway and in cells deficient in caspase 9 for the intrinsic pathway. Our results indicate HSV-2-induced apoptosis in T cells occurs via the intrinsic pathway.
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