Caspases are key enzymes involved in regulating apoptosis.
A major goal of Yuan laboratory is to understand the signal transduction of apoptosis related to neurological diseases. While the expression of caspase-11 is undetectable in most tissues of healthy mice, it can be potently induced by a variety of pathological signals. We found that caspase-12, a member of murine caspase family, is localized predominantly in the endoplasmic reticulum. Caspase-12 is activated specifically by ER stress. We hope that our understanding of the mechanism of neuronal cell death will lead to development of effective therapeutic methods for neuronal degenerative diseases.