Caspases are a family of protease enzymes that play essential roles in programmed cell death, or apoptosis. They are synthesized as inactive proenzymes and become activated through cleavage. Caspases can be broadly classified into initiator caspases (such as caspase-8 and caspase-9) and effector caspases (such as caspase-3, caspase-6, and caspase-7).
