This gene encodes a protein which 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 two subunits, large and small, that dimerize to form the active enzyme. This protein cleaves and activates caspases 3 and 7, and the protein itself is processed by caspase 8. Mutations in this gene are associated with apoptosis defects seen in type II autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome. Three alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene. (provided by RefSeq)
Caspase 10 has two death effector domains (DEDs) th at bind to the DED in the adapter molecule FADD and recruits both TNFR1 and CD95 to form complexes with these receptors. Caspase 10 cleaves and activates caspases 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 which causes the proteolytic cleavage of many key proteins such as PARP. Based on gene expression studies, caspase 10 may be crucial in embryonic development. In view of its structural homology to caspase 8, the initiator caspase in death receptor-mediated apoptosis, caspase 10 may function in a similar and redundant manner.
