中文摘要：

Caspase家族是一类半胱氨酸天冬氨酸特异性蛋白酶，其中caspase-1是最先在哺乳动物细胞中被鉴定出来的家族成员，介导了某些特定类型细胞的凋亡。在微生物感染或细胞内危险信号存在时，caspase—1可通过与炎性体结合而发生激活，从而加工pro-IL—1β和pro—IL-18等炎症因子使其成熟并释放，在炎症反应中起着核心调控作用。此外，caspase-1还能介导一种特殊的促炎症的程序性细胞死亡（Pyroptosis）。caspase-1参与的炎症及程序性细胞死亡能有效提高机体抵抗内源和外源各种刺激的能力，达到保护宿主的目的，而caspase-1的功能异常则与多种疾病密切相关。

英文摘要：

The caspases constitute a family of cysteinyl aspartate proteases. Caspase-1 is the first one found in mammalian cells, which is closely related to apoptosis. However, caspase-1 plays a central role in inflam- mation through processing pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18 when activated by inflammasome in the presence of microbes or endogenous danger signals. Moreover, it can mediate proinflammatory programmed cell death, named ＂pyroptosis＂, then fights with exogenous and endogenous stimulus, contributing to protect the host. Dysfunction of caspase-1 is closely related with many diseases.