Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
08:47
Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
Published on: March 5, 2018
9.5K
Caspase involvement in autophagy.
Panagiotis Tsapras1, Ioannis P Nezis1
1School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Cell Death and Differentiation
|June 3, 2017
Summary
Caspases (cysteine proteases) fine-tune autophagy, a cell survival process, by interacting with autophagy-related proteins (ATGs). This crosstalk reveals new insights into cellular regulation beyond apoptosis.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Caspases are key mediators of apoptosis (programmed cell death).
- Their role in regulating autophagy, a cell survival pathway, is less understood.
- Autophagy and apoptosis are interconnected pathways involving autophagy-related proteins (ATGs) and caspases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the cellular-level effects of crosstalk between caspases and autophagy.
- To highlight the fine-tuning of autophagy by caspases.
- To examine interactions between caspases and key autophagy-related proteins (ATGs).
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on research into caspase-autophagy crosstalk.
- Analysis of studies detailing direct interactions between caspases and ATGs.
- Brief outline of the core mechanism of macroautophagy.
Main Results:
- Caspases directly interact with critical ATGs across the autophagic cascade.
- This interaction modulates the process of autophagy.
- Autophagy can contribute to apoptotic cell death during development.
Conclusions:
- Caspases play a significant role in regulating autophagy, impacting cell survival.
- The intricate cross-regulation between ATGs and caspases is crucial for cellular homeostasis.
- Understanding this crosstalk provides new perspectives on cell death and survival pathways.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Autophagic Cell Death
4.8K
Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
4.8K
01:24Caspases
14.4K
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...
14.4K
01:27Autophagy
6.0K
Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
6.0K
01:36Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
10.4K
Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
10.4K
01:31The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
8.9K
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...
8.9K
01:17The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
9.0K
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...
9.0K