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

11.7K
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...
11.7K
Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

Gene Duplication and Divergence

6.0K
The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was  generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
6.0K
Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins02:26

Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins

10.7K
Protein domains are small structurally independent units that are part of a single amino acid chain.  Although these domains are often structurally independent, they may rely on synergistic effects to perform their functions as part of a larger protein. Protein domains may be conserved within the same organism, as well as across different organisms.
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to...
10.7K
CRISPR and crRNAs02:53

CRISPR and crRNAs

16.4K
Bacteria and archaea are susceptible to viral infections just like eukaryotes; therefore, they have developed a unique adaptive immune system to protect themselves. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) are present in more than 45% of known bacteria and 90% of known archaea.
The CRISPR-Cas system stores a copy of foreign DNA in the host genome and uses it to identify the foreign DNA upon reinfection. CRISPR-Cas has three different...
16.4K
Conservation of Protein Domains02:26

Conservation of Protein Domains

3.0K
3.0K
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

5.7K
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...
5.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Comparative Genomics Reveals Recurrent Loss of <i>Autophagy-Related 9B</i> (<i>ATG9B</i>) in Amniotes.

Genes·2026
Same author

Cell Death by Holocrine Secretion: The Final Step of Epithelial Differentiation in Sebaceous Glands.

Cells·2026
Same author

Hoxc13 and homologs of mammalian hair keratins are required for the cornification of nuptial pads in Xenopus frogs.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

The Epithelial Egg Tooth of the Chicken Shares Protein Markers with the Embryonic Subperiderm and Feathers.

Journal of developmental biology·2026
Same author

Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals a Dual Role of the Epidermal Differentiation Complex in the Skin and the Oesophagus.

Experimental dermatology·2025
Same author

Amino Acid Metabolism of the Skin: Control by Specific Enzymes and Contribution to Protective Functions.

Metabolites·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2025

Exploring Caspase Mutations and Post-Translational Modification by Molecular Modeling Approaches
05:56

Exploring Caspase Mutations and Post-Translational Modification by Molecular Modeling Approaches

Published on: October 13, 2022

1.3K

Caspase Domain Duplication During the Evolution of Caspase-16.

Leopold Eckhart1, Attila Placido Sachslehner2, Julia Steinbinder2

  • 1Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria. leopold.eckhart@meduniwien.ac.at.

Journal of Molecular Evolution
|May 20, 2025
PubMed
Summary

The evolution of caspase-16 (CASP16) reveals its ancient mammalian origin and unique domain structure. Pseudogenization of CASP16 in humans distinguishes them from primates, highlighting evolutionary divergence in caspase function.

Keywords:
CaspaseEvolutionProtein domainPseudogenizationPyroptosis

More Related Videos

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

9.0K
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

4.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 22, 2025

Exploring Caspase Mutations and Post-Translational Modification by Molecular Modeling Approaches
05:56

Exploring Caspase Mutations and Post-Translational Modification by Molecular Modeling Approaches

Published on: October 13, 2022

1.3K
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

9.0K
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

4.3K

Area of Science:

  • Molecular biology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Caspases are crucial proteases in programmed cell death and inflammation.
  • Their function relies on a catalytic dyad within a specific protein fold.
  • Caspase-16 (CASP16) is an enigmatic caspase family member with limited prior characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary history of caspase-16 (CASP16).
  • To understand the structural and functional evolution of CASP16 within the mammalian lineage.
  • To identify the evolutionary events leading to the pseudogenization of CASP16 in humans.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative sequence analysis of CASP16 orthologs across mammalian species.
  • Phylogenetic analysis to determine the origin and divergence of CASP16.
  • Identification of gene structures and potential mutations in human and primate CASP16.

Main Results:

  • CASP16 orthologs are present in placental mammals, marsupials, and monotremes, indicating an origin predating major mammalian clade divergence.
  • CASP16 possesses a unique structure with a carboxy-terminal caspase domain and an amino-terminal prodomain resembling a caspase domain.
  • The CASP16 prodomain evolved via exon duplication, with catalytic activity lost in the N-terminal domain and retained in the C-terminal domain.
  • Murine and human CASP16 are pseudogenes (CASP16P) due to frameshift mutations.
  • Chimpanzee CASP16 and other primate CASP16 genes retain intact coding sequences.

Conclusions:

  • Caspase-16 exhibits a unique structural organization distinct from other mammalian caspases.
  • The pseudogenization of CASP16 in humans represents a significant evolutionary divergence from closely related primates.
  • Understanding CASP16 evolution sheds light on the diversification of caspase functions in mammals.