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Protein / target

Caspase-9

Encoded byCASP9P55211Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
UniProt: P55211Ensembl: ENSG00000132906HGNC: HGNC:1511NCBI Gene: 842
Clinical-stage
Therapeutic maturity
2
Clinical candidates
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Advanced Clinical
1
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Cysteine-type endopeptidase

Strongest disease association

Gout

Via encoding gene CASP9 · Genetic evidence · score 0.60

Therapeutic position

Clinically advancing target

Small molecules

Research activity

Emerging research

1 papers · latest 1999

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Involved in the activation cascade of caspases responsible for apoptosis execution.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Involved in the activation cascade of caspases responsible for apoptosis execution. Binding of caspase-9 to Apaf-1 leads to activation of the protease which then cleaves and activates effector caspases caspase-3 (CASP3) or caspase-7 (CASP7). Promotes DNA damage-induced apoptosis in a ABL1/c-Abl-dependent manner. Proteolytically cleaves poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Cleaves BIRC6 following inhibition of BIRC6-caspase binding by DIABLO/SMAC (PubMed:36758105, PubMed:36758106)

Domains and Gene Ontology detail (36)

Domains & features

CARD

Gene Ontology

  • Capoptosome
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytosol
  • Cmitochondrion
  • Cnucleus
  • Cprotein-containing complex
  • Fcysteine-type endopeptidase activity
  • Fenzyme activator activity
  • Fidentical protein binding
  • Fpeptidase activity
  • Fprotein kinase binding
  • Papoptotic process

416 aa · 46 kDa · 4 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Apoptosis & cell deathUniProt · GOProteolysisUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Apoptosis & cell death

  • ·Involved in the activation cascade of caspases responsible for apoptosis execution. Bind…
  • ·apoptotic process
  • ·glial cell apoptotic process
  • ·leukocyte apoptotic process

Proteolysis

  • ·Involved in the activation cascade of caspases responsible for apoptosis execution. Bind…
  • ·cysteine-type endopeptidase activity
  • ·peptidase activity

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene CASP9

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene CASP9that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Gout
0.60Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.36

Neurodegenerative Diseases
0.32Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.48 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
0.29Limited support

Somatic mutation evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.21

Breast Neoplasms
0.25Limited support

Somatic mutation evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.20

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
0.25Limited support

Somatic mutation evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.20

View evidence synthesis (5)
GoutModerately supported
0.60
agreement 0.48–0.72
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.36 · 1 independent evidence family

Neurodegenerative DiseasesPreliminary
0.32
agreement 0.14–0.50
Pathway97%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.48 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungLimited support
0.29
agreement 0.13–0.45
Somatic mutation63%Literature37%

Open Targets aggregate 0.21 · 2 independent evidence families

Breast NeoplasmsLimited support
0.25
agreement 0.09–0.41
Somatic mutation74%Literature26%

Open Targets aggregate 0.20 · 2 independent evidence families

Carcinoma, HepatocellularLimited support
0.25
agreement 0.09–0.41
Somatic mutation74%Literature26%

Open Targets aggregate 0.20 · 2 independent evidence families

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.48
Gout0.36
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung0.21
Breast Neoplasms0.20
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular0.20
Prostate carcinoma0.20
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute0.20
Lung carcinoma0.19
Gastric carcinoma0.19
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma0.19

Drug development

2 compounds recorded · 2 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines.

View all recorded compounds (2)
NIVOCASANPhase 2
EMRICASANPhase 2

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small molecules — Strong

Advanced Clinical and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

Protein degraders — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot ubiquitination and database ubiquitination) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (9)
SM · Advanced ClinicalSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

1 papers · to 1999

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Cellular survival: a play in three Akts.3,130 cites

Datta SR · Genes & development · 1999

Recent

Cellular survival: a play in three Akts.

Datta SR · Genes & development · 1999

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.