This gene encodes a protein which is a member of the cysteine-aspartic acid protease (caspase) family.Sequential activation of caspases plays a central role in the execution-phase of cell apoptosis.Caspases exist as inactive proenzymes which undergo proteolytic processing at conserved aspartic residues to produce 2 subunits large and small that dimerize to form the active enzyme.This gene was identified by its ability to proteolytically cleave and activate the inactive precursor of interleukin-1 a cytokine involved in the processes such as inflammation septic shock and wound healing.This gene has been shown to induce cell apoptosis and may function in various developmental stages.Studies of a similar gene in mouse suggest a role in the pathogenesis of Huntington disease.Alternative splicing of this gene results in five transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.[provided by RefSeq].