Caspases regulate cell death programs in response to environmental stresses, including
infection and inflammation, and are therefore critical for the proper operation of the …

Toll-like receptor signaling and subsequent activation of NF-κB–and MAPK-dependent
genes during infection play an important role in antimicrobial host defense. The YopJ protein …

The cysteine protease caspase-7 has an established role in the execution of apoptotic cell
death, but recent findings also suggest involvement of caspase-7 during the host response …

Caspase-8 is a key integrator of cell survival and cell death decisions during infection and
inflammation. Following engagement of tumor necrosis factor superfamily receptors or …

Caspase cysteine proteases are factors widely recognized for their role in the induction of
apoptotic cell death. Caspases induce apoptosis during the inflammatory response to …

Proinflammatory caspases play important roles in innate immunity. Much attention has
focused on caspase-1, which acts to eliminate pathogens by obliterating their replicative …

A number of pathogens cause host cell death upon infection, and Yersinia pestis, infamous
for its role in large pandemics such as the “Black Death” in medieval Europe, induces …

Caspase-12 is a dominant-negative regulator of caspase-1 (IL-1β-converting enzyme) and
an attenuator of cytokine responsiveness to septic infections. This molecular role for …

Innate immunity is the primary host defense against invading microorganisms. Pathogen
recognition, mediated through an elaborate 'microbial sensing'system comprising the Toll …

Sepsis is thought to result from an exaggerated innate immune response to microbial
components such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but the involvement of a specific mechanism …