Active+Pro Caspase-9 Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody

Function

Caspase-9 (ICE-LAP6, Mch6) is an important member of the cysteine aspartic acid protease (caspase) family. It is known to be involved in the activation cascade of caspases responsible for apoptosis execution. Upon apoptotic stimulation, cytochrome c released from mitochondria associates with the 47 kDa procaspase-9/Apaf 1. Apaf-1 mediated activation of caspase-9 involves instrinsic proteolytic processing resulting in cleavage at Asp315 and producing a p35 subunit. Another cleavage occurs at Asp330 producing a p37 subunit that can serve to amplify the apoptotic response. Cleaved caspase-9 further processes other caspase members, including caspase-3 and caspase-7, to initiate a caspase cascade, which leads to apoptosis.

Background References

1. "c-Abl tyrosine kinase regulates caspase-9 autocleavage in the apoptotic response to DNA damage." Raina D., Pandey P., Ahmad R., Bharti A., Ren J., Kharbanda S., Weichselbaum R., Kufe D. J. Biol. Chem. 280:11147-11151(2005)

2. "Identification of an endogenous dominant-negative short isoform of caspase-9 that can regulate apoptosis." Srinivasula S.M., Ahmad M., Guo Y., Zhan Y., Lazebnik Y., Fernandes-Alnemri T., Alnemri E.S.Cancer Res. 59:999-1002(1999)

Sequence Similarity

Belongs to the peptidase C14A family.

Tissue Specificity

Ubiquitous, with highest expression in the heart, moderate expression in liver, skeletal muscle, and pancreas. Low levels in all other tissues. Within the heart, specifically expressed in myocytes.

Post-translational Modification

Cleavages at Asp-315 by granzyme B and at Asp-330 by caspase-3 generate the two active subunits. Caspase-8 and -10 can also be involved in these processing events.; Phosphorylated at Thr-125 by MAPK1/ERK2. Phosphorylation at Thr-125 is sufficient to block caspase-9 processing and subsequent caspase-3 activation. Phosphorylation on Tyr-153 by ABL1/c-Abl; occurs in the response of cells to DNA damage.

Subcellular Location

Cytoplasm.

UNIPROT

SwissProt: P55211 Human

Synonyms