Subcellular localization of caspase-3 activation correlates with changes in apoptotic morphology in MOLT-4 leukemia cells exposed to X-ray irradiation.

Caspase-3 is a critical effector caspase for apoptosis, which cleaves proteins, including cytoskeletal and associated proteins, kinases, and members of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis-related proteins. This leads to changes in apoptotic morphology, such as membrane externalization and cytoplasm and nuclear condensation. It has been reported that pro-caspase-3 is activated in the cytosol. However, it remains obscure how caspase-3 activation...