Journal
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 9, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.702404
Keywords
caspases; mitochondria; central nervous system; apoptosis; embryonic development
Categories
Funding
- Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer (Comite du Rhone)
- Fondation ARC [PGA1 RF20180206799]
- InstitutNational du Cancer
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The caspase family of cysteine proteases plays critical roles in shaping embryonic structures, particularly in the development of the central nervous system (CNS). Apart from their involvement in apoptosis, caspases are also implicated in various other neurodevelopmental processes, raising questions about how neurons regulate the decision-making between cell death and proper development.
The caspase family of cysteine proteases represents the executioners of programmed cell death (PCD) type I or apoptosis. For years, caspases have been known for their critical roles in shaping embryonic structures, including the development of the central nervous system (CNS). Interestingly, recent findings have suggested that aside from their roles in eliminating unnecessary neural cells, caspases are also implicated in other neurodevelopmental processes such as axon guidance, synapse formation, axon pruning, and synaptic functions. These results raise the question as to how neurons regulate this decision-making, leading either to cell death or to proper development and differentiation. This review highlights current knowledge on apoptotic and non-apoptotic functions of caspases in the developing CNS. We also discuss the molecular factors involved in the regulation of caspase-mediated roles, emphasizing the mitochondrial pathway of cell death.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available