| umls-concept:C0537969 | skos:definition | MSH: A short pro-domain caspase that plays an effector role in APOPTOSIS. It is activated by INITIATOR CASPASES such as CASPASE 3 and CASPASE 10. Several isoforms of this protein exist due to multiple alternative splicing of its MESSENGER RNA.,NCI: Caspase-7, encoded by the CASP7 Gene, is a member of the cysteine-aspartic acid protease (caspase) family. Sequential activation of caspases plays a central role in the execution-phase of cell apoptosis. Caspases exist as inactive proenzymes which undergo proteolytic processing at conserved aspartic residues to produce 2 subunits, large and small, that dimerize to form the active enzyme. The precursor of this caspase can be cleaved by caspase 3 and 10. It has been shown to be activated upon cell death stimuli and induce apoptosis. Alternative splicing of this gene results in 4 transcript variants, which encode 3 distinct isoforms. (From LocusLink and NCI) | lld:umls |
