Caspase

By Christina Towers, PhD

By Bethany Veo, PhD

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death which is mediated by cysteine proteases called caspases. It is an essential phenomenon in the maintenance of homeostasis and growth of tissues, and it also plays a critical role in immune response. The cytomorphological alterations and the key features of apoptosis are listed below:

Dynamin-related Protein 1 (DRP1) is known to function in mitochondrial and peroxisomal division and mediate membrane fission through oligomerization into ring-like structure and sever the mitochondrial membrane, through a GTP hydrolysis-dependent mechanism.

Apoptosis is one of the best-characterized phenomena in cellular and molecular biology. Not only is it essential for successful development, but its deregulation also leads to a number of human diseases, most notably cancer.