Skip to main content
. 2011 May 6;18(8):1289–1297. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2011.49

Table 1. PCD-related plant subtilases and animal caspases: common features and distinctions.

  Caspases Phytaspase Saspases
Protease type Cys-dependent, caspase family Ser-dependent, subtilase family Ser-dependent, subtilase family
Cleavage specificity Strictly D-specific Strictly D-specific Strictly D-specific
Synthesized as Pro-enzyme Pre–pro-enzyme Inferred as pre–pro-enzyme
Pro-enzyme processing Stimuli-induced, autocatalytic or by an upstream caspase Constitutive, autocatalytic Inferred as constitutive, autocatalytic
Mature enzyme Dimer of heterodimers, ∼12 and 20 kDa subunits Single polypeptide chain, ∼80 kDa Single polypeptide chain, ∼ 80 kDa
Localization Intracellular, mainly cytoplasmic Extracellular in healthy tissues; shifted to cytoplasm upon PCD induction Extracellular
Role in PCD Initiation, execution Upstream of mitochondrial events, cleavage of foreign protein(s) Rubisco proteolysis
Protein targets known Various proteins of host and pathogen origin VirD2 protein of Agrobacterium tumefaciens ?
Preferred peptide recognition pattern VDVAD (caspase-2), DEVD (caspase-3, -7), VEID (caspase-6) IETD (caspase-8), LEHD (caspase-9) VEID>>YVAD∼VAD∼IETD ∼LEHD>>WEHD∼STATD ∼VDVAD VKMD>VNLD∼VEHD>VAD ∼IETD∼LEHD>LEVD∼YVAD
    DEVD derivative is not recognized DEVD, VEID, WEHD, VDVAD derivatives are not cleaved