RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Caspases: Enemies Within JF Science JO Science FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP 1312 OP 1316 DO 10.1126/science.281.5381.1312 VO 281 IS 5381 A1 Thornberry, Nancy A. A1 Lazebnik, Yuri YR 1998 UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/281/5381/1312.abstract AB REVIEWApoptosis, an evolutionarily conserved form of cell suicide, requires specialized machinery. The central component of this machinery is a proteolytic system involving a family of proteases called caspases. These enzymes participate in a cascade that is triggered in response to proapoptotic signals and culminates in cleavage of a set of proteins, resulting in disassembly of the cell. Understanding caspase regulation is intimately linked to the ability to rationally manipulate apoptosis for therapeutic gain.