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Updated: May 24, 2026

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
Published on: March 5, 2018
Caspase-8 is essential for maintaining chromosomal stability and suppressing B-cell lymphomagenesis
Anne Hakem1, Samah El Ghamrasni, Georges Maire
1Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto and Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada. ahakem@uhnres.utoronto.ca
Abstract:
In addition to its proapoptotic function, caspase-8 is also important for several other processes, including suppressing necroptosis, cell migration, and immune cell survival. In the present study, we report that the loss of caspase-8 in B lymphocytes leads to B-cell malignancies and that the risk for these tumors is further enhanced in the absence of p53. We also report that deficiency of caspase-8 results in impaired cytokinesis and that casp8(-/-) lymphomas display remarkably elevated levels of chromosomal aberrations. Our data support an important role for caspase-8 in the maintenance of genomic integrity and highlight its tumor-suppressive function.
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