Description
The human CASP8 gene, whose product is also known as Caspase-8 and FLICE, encodes an interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE)-related cysteine protease that is activated by the engagement of several different death receptors. It is immediately recruited to the Fas receptor once it oligomerizes, and its protease activity is crucial for the apoptotic response generated by the resulting death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). This gene contains at least 11 exons spanning approximately 30kb on human chromosome band 2q33-34. This region of chromosome 2 was previously reported as the location of the CASP10 gene, whose product is closely related to CASP8. Caspase-8 deficiency in humans is compatible with normal development and shows that the enzyme has a postnatal role in immune activation of naive lymphocytes