凋亡是受遗传因素控制的细胞死亡,其分子机制在进化过程中十分保守。从线虫到人,许多蛋白酶同源物的发现,提示蛋白酶是细胞死亡机制的核心成分。本文论述了调控细胞凋亡的蛋白酶、蛋白酶作用的底物及其蛋白酶在细胞凋亡中的作用机制。 Apoptosis is a cell death controlled by genetic factors, and its molecular mechanism is very conservative in the evolutionary process. From nematodes to humans, the discovery of many protease homologues suggests that proteases are a core component of the mechanism of cell death. This article discusses the mechanisms involved in the regulation of apoptosis in proteases, substrates for proteases and their proteases in apoptosis.