Abstract
Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases conserved across all metazoa which play critical functions that range from cell death, inflammation, and cellular differentiation. Caspases cleave a subset of protein substrates after aspartic acid residues, which subsequently defines cellular consequences. Inflammatory caspases are a subfamily of caspases which are activated by signaling platforms known as inflammasomes, which are assembled upon sensing of diverse sterile and microbial stimuli. Upon their activation, inflammatory caspases generate a potent inflammatory response that is critical to control infections and maintain homeostasis but can also drive numerous pathologies. Increasing amount of literature identified inflammatory caspase activity as a promising target for the treatment of these diseases. As such, a robust understanding of inflammatory caspase activation, substrate selectivity, and wider functions is critical to aid the development of therapeutics. In this review, we provide a holistic overview of inflammatory caspase activation, activity, and signaling, highlighting the biochemical features controlling these elements.