Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Caspases01:24

Caspases

Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside cells.
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
Enzymes02:34

Enzymes

Inside living organisms, enzymes act as catalysts for many biochemical reactions involved in cellular metabolism. The role of enzymes is to reduce the activation energies of biochemical reactions by forming complexes with its substrates. The lowering of activation energies favor an increase in the rates of biochemical reactions.
Enzyme deficiencies can often translate into life-threatening diseases. For example, a genetic abnormality resulting in the deficiency of the enzyme G6PD...
Allosteric Proteins-ATCase01:19

Allosteric Proteins-ATCase

Binding sites linkages can regulate a protein's function.  For example, enzyme activity is often regulated through a feedback mechanism where the end product of the biochemical process serves as an inhibitor.
Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the condensation of L-aspartate and carbamoyl phosphate to  N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate. This reaction is the first step in pyrimidine biosynthesis. UTP and CTP, the end products of the pyrimidine synthesis pathway,...
Enzyme Inhibition01:30

Enzyme Inhibition

Inhibitors are molecules that reduce enzyme activity by binding to the enzyme. In a normally functioning cell, enzymes are regulated by a variety of inhibitors. Drugs and other toxins can also inhibit enzymes. Some inhibitors bind to the enzyme’s active site, while others inhibit enzymatic activity by binding to other sites on the protein structure.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Engineering Cathepsin S Selective Chemical Probes and Antibody-Drug Conjugates through Substrate Profiling with Unnatural Amino Acids.

Journal of medicinal chemistry·2026
Same author

Presence of vitality evidence in railway run-over cases in the autopsy material of the Kraków Department of Forensic Medicine.

Archiwum medycyny sadowej i kryminologii·2026
Same author

Synthesis and Characterization of ULK1/2 Kinase Inhibitors That Inhibit Autophagy and Upregulate Expression of Major Histocompatibility Complex I for the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

ACS chemical biology·2026
Same author

TOF-probe-based mass cytometry reveals individual protease activity as an important driver of immune cell differentiation and function.

Cell reports·2026
Same author

Integrative and deep learning-based prediction of therapy response in ovarian cancer.

Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR·2025
Same author

Single-cell profiling of CD19-directed CAR T-cell phenotypes and immune system dynamics in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Haematologica·2025
Same journal

Evolutionary and Biochemical Perspectives on the Incorporation and Utilization of Selenocysteine.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter: From Parts to Signaling Networks.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

Growth Control and Beyond: Functional Diversity and Regulation of the Hippo Pathway in the Nervous System.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

Structural Studies of Core Hippo Pathway Components.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

The Hippo Pathway in Intestinal Regeneration, Fetal Reprogramming, and Tumorigenesis.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

A Synergy between Genetics and Biochemistry Unravels the Molecular Architecture of the Hippo Signaling Pathway.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry
05:29

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry

Published on: March 24, 2023

Caspase substrates and inhibitors.

Marcin Poreba1, Aleksandra Strózyk, Guy S Salvesen

  • 1Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland.

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
|June 22, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synthetic substrates and inhibitors have advanced the study of caspases (proteases regulating apoptosis and inflammation). These tools aid in understanding cell signaling and developing caspase-targeted therapies for diseases.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Cleavage Assays using Purified Recombinant Drosophila Caspases for Substrate Screening
08:16

In Vitro Cleavage Assays using Purified Recombinant Drosophila Caspases for Substrate Screening

Published on: October 6, 2022

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
08:47

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation

Published on: March 5, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry
05:29

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry

Published on: March 24, 2023

In Vitro Cleavage Assays using Purified Recombinant Drosophila Caspases for Substrate Screening
08:16

In Vitro Cleavage Assays using Purified Recombinant Drosophila Caspases for Substrate Screening

Published on: October 6, 2022

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
08:47

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation

Published on: March 5, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Caspases are key proteases regulating crucial cellular processes like apoptosis and inflammation.
  • Recent advancements have significantly improved our understanding of caspase biology and chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the impact of synthetic substrates and inhibitors on caspase research.
  • To discuss the application of these tools in understanding cell signaling and disease mechanisms.
  • To explore the potential of targeting caspases for therapeutic interventions.

Main Methods:

  • Development and application of synthetic substrates and inhibitors for caspases.
  • Utilizing imaging techniques for in situ and in vivo caspase analysis.
  • Employing focused proteomics to identify natural caspase substrates.

Main Results:

  • Synthetic agents have been instrumental in defining the roles of caspases in signaling pathways.
  • Proteomics have identified thousands of natural caspase substrates.
  • These advancements facilitate the exploration of caspase networks in cell behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Chemical and proteomics technologies are crucial for controlling caspase activity.
  • Targeting caspases holds promise for developing novel therapeutic strategies for various diseases.
  • Further research is warranted to fully leverage these tools for clinical applications.