Measurement of Caspase Activity in Cells Undergoing Apoptosis

Cysteine proteases of the caspase family play key roles in the execution of apoptosis and in the maturation of proinflammatory cytokines. During apoptosis signaling, the latent forms of caspase precursors undergo rapid proteolytic processing and activation. Thus, the measurement of caspase activation provides a quick and convenient mean to assess apoptosis. This chapter outlines the various commonly used assays for determining caspase activity in cultured cells or tissue extracts.