Intrinsic death pathway procaspase

Apoptosis is a highly conserved cascade of events resnlting in cell destruction without associated inflammation or damage to surrounding tissnes. The executioner enzymes are cysteine-aspartic proteases (caspases) that are normally present as inactive proenzymes (procaspases). Apoptotic stimnli activate initiator caspases (caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-12) which, in turn, activate effector caspases (caspase-3, caspase-6, caspase-7) that actually dismantle the cell [43]. The apoptotic cascade can be triggered by extrinsic or intrinsic pathways. In the extrinsic pathway, activation of the Fas receptor and tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) on the cell surface leads to recruitment of adaptor proteins, such as the Fas-associated death domain (FADD), whose death... 

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