Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Caspases

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Beyond the veil of cell death.

Cell chemical biology·2026

Same author

Cytokines driven by caspase-1 and RIPK3 are antagonistic.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Author Correction: cBAF complex components and MYC cooperate early in CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell fate.

Nature·2026

Same author

The mannosyltransferase DPM1 regulates the activity of ER-stress sensor IRE1 in colorectal cancer.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Autophagy modulation in cancer.

Nature reviews. Drug discovery·2026

Same author

ISG15 negatively regulates RIPK3-mediated cell death and viral pathogenesis.

Cell reports·2026

Same journal

High-Throughput Microbial Assay for Amino Acid Measurement in Ground Maize Seed Samples Utilizing Auxotrophic <i>E. coli</i>.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

Grain Quality in Maize.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

High-Throughput Assay for Measuring Phytate and Available Phosphorus in Ground Maize Seed Samples.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

Functional Genomic Analysis of Transposon Insertion Mutant Maize Plants from the UniformMu National Public Resource.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

The UniformMu National Public Resource: Transposon<i>-</i>Induced Mutant Seeds for Functional Genomics Studies in Maize.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

Insights from the Study of B<i>-</i>Cell Epitopes of a Microbial Pathogen by Phage Display.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry

Published on: March 24, 2023

Assaying caspase activity in vitro.

Gavin P McStay¹, Douglas R Green²

¹Department of Life Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York 11568;

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

|July 3, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Monitoring caspase activity involves measuring substrate cleavage using chromogenic or fluorogenic substrates. While informative, these assays require further experiments to identify specific caspases in complex biological samples.

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: October 6, 2022

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death

Published on: January 20, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry

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

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

Published on: October 6, 2022

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death

Published on: January 20, 2023

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Caspases are crucial proteases involved in apoptosis and other cellular processes.
Monitoring caspase activity is essential for understanding cellular signaling pathways.
Existing methods for caspase activity detection often lack specificity in complex biological mixtures.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe a protocol for monitoring caspase activity using chromogenic or fluorogenic substrates.
To highlight the utility of these substrates in detecting active caspases in various biological samples.
To address the limitations of substrate-based assays in identifying specific caspases within complex cellular extracts.

Main Methods:

Utilizing chromogenic or fluorogenic substrates designed with specific caspase cleavage motifs.
Measuring substrate cleavage spectrophotometrically or fluorimetrically.
Employing caspase inhibitors to validate assay results.

Main Results:

The protocol enables the detection of caspase activity in isolated proteins and complex mixtures like cytosolic extracts and apoptotic cells.
Assays can determine the involvement of caspases in specific cellular processes, such as apoptosis.
The use of caspase inhibitors aids in confirming the role of caspases.

Conclusions:

Chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates are valuable tools for monitoring general caspase activity.
Specificity remains a challenge when multiple caspases are present, necessitating further identification methods.
This protocol provides a foundation for caspase activity assessment, with a caveat for specific caspase identification.