Subsequently, Lacana et al. provided data suggesting that the
antiapoptotic activity of PS2/STM2 results from its ability to suppress
ICE/CED-3-like protease activity.216 Interestingly, caspases have also recently
been implicated in the proteolytic processing of PS1 and PS2/STM2, although
the biological significance of such processing is currently unclear.217 Additional
studies will be required to further elucidate the importance of caspase
activity in diseases like AD. Studies involving inhibitors of specific caspases
or caspase knockout animals are likely to shed the most light on the involvement
of caspase-mediated apoptosis in neurodegenerative diseases.