Caspase 3 and Its Role in the Pathogenesis of Cancer

Zainab Malik Noor, Hamad Ahmad, Qurat ul Ain, Touqeer Anjum, Zara Sajid Malik, Zoya Hussain and Faiza Naseer

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Bashir Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
Hamdard University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Department of Pulmonology, Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar, Pakistan
Shifa Tameer e Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan

^*Correspondance to: Faiza Naseer 

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Abstract:

Caspases are the executioners of apoptosis, among them; caspase-3 is a frequently activated death protease, which plays vital roles in the induction, transduction, and amplification of intracellular apoptotic signals. Caspases are aspartate-specific cysteine proteases and members of the interleukin-1β-converting enzyme family. The activation and function of caspases, involved in the delicate caspase-cascade system, are regulated by various kinds of molecules, such as the inhibitor of apoptosis protein, Bcl-2 family proteins, calpain, and Ca2+. Based on the latest research, the members of the caspase family, the caspase-cascade system, and caspase-regulating molecules involved in apoptosis are reviewed. The key components of the biochemical pathways of caspase activation have been recently elucidated. The pathways involved in caspase activation are the cell surface death receptor pathway and the mitochondria-initiated pathway. Thus, Caspase-3 is essential for certain processes associated with the dismantling of the cell and the formation of apoptotic bodies, but it may also function before or at the stage when commitment to loss of cell viability is made.

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Cite the Article:

Noor ZM, Ahmad H, Ain Q, Anjum T, Malik ZS, Hussain Z, et al. Caspase 3 and Its Role in the Pathogenesis of Cancer. Clin Oncol. 2022;7:1941..