Caspase-2, also known as NEDD2 and ICH-1, is a 30‑32 kDa member of the peptidase C14A/IL‑1 beta‑converting family of enzymes. It is widely expressed and is an integral component of the apoptotic cascade. Caspase-2 is a disulfide-linked homodimer, with activation occurring following oligomerization within the context of activating platforms such as DISC (death-inducing signaling complex) or the PIDDosome. Initially, Pro-Caspase-2 is cleaved into a p34 subunit and a p14 subunit which are further processed to generate the prodomain, plus the mature p18 and p12 subunits. Notably, each p18-p12 heterodimer demonstrates proteolytic activity and localizes to either the nucleus or cytoplasm.
