source: http://cegg.unige.ch/insecta/immunodb/expert

CASPs: Caspases
Summary

Sang Woon Shin(1), Guowu Bian(1), Kanwal Alvarez(1), Alexander Raikhel(1), and Bart Bryant(2) 

1. Department of Entomology and the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside California 92521, USA 
2. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Rollie Clem Lab, Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-4901 

Caspases are proteolytic enzymes which employ a cysteine protease mechanism to cleave aspartic acid of target proteins. CASPs and IAPs (inhibitors of apoptosis) are essential for regulating cell death during development. In a nonapoptotic context, a Dm caspase (DmDredd) and an IAP (DmIAP2) are required for Imd signaling [Leulier et al. 2000; Gesellchen et al. 2005; Kleino et al. 2005]. DmDredd encodes an initiator caspase and is an effector of the apoptosis activators reaper, grim and hid [Chen et al. 1998]. The overexpression of DmDredd induces apoptosis in SL2 cells [Chen et al. 1998; Rodriguez et al. 1999], and interacts via its death effector domain with the apoptotic adaptor DmFADD [Hu & Yang 2000]. Six additional CASPs have been identified in Dm, and the mosquitoes exhibit expansions leading to 14 in Ag and 10 in Aa. Single-copy orthologs of the long-form CASPs DmDredd and DmDronc are found in both mosquitoes. Independent expansions in Ag and Aa have given rise to three DmDamm/DmDream-related CASPs in each mosquito. Mosquito CASPS7 and CASPS8 form orthologous pairs, with CASPS7 being most closely related to DmIce and DmDcp1. Expansions in the mosquitoes, particularly in Ag, have resulted in two Aa and seven Ag CASPs related to DmDecay. 

Cooper et al, 2009, Apoptosis PMID:19212814 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19212814?dopt=Abstract
The insect caspases.