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. 2014 Jul 15;30(4):667–670. doi: 10.1007/s12264-014-1454-4

Non-apoptotic role of caspase-3 in synapse refinement

Jin-Yuan Wang 1, Zhen-Ge Luo 1,✉
PMCID: PMC5562632  PMID: 25027781

Abstract

Caspases, a family of cysteine proteases, mediate programmed cell death during early neural development and neurodegeneration, as well as following neurotoxic insults. Notably, accumulating lines of evidence have shown non-apoptotic roles of caspases in the structural and functional plasticity of neuronal circuits under physiological conditions, such as growth-cone dynamics and axonal/dendritic pruning, as well as neuronal excitability and plasticity. Here, we summarize recent progress on the roles of caspases in synaptic refinement.

Keywords: caspases, neuronal plasticity, synaptic refinement

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