Caspase 2 also known as CASP2 is an enzyme that, in humans, is encoded by the CASP2 gene.

This gene encodes a member of the cysteine-aspartic acid protease (caspase) family. Caspases mediate cellular apoptosis through the proteolytic cleavage of specific protein substrates. The encoded protein may function in stress-induced cell death pathways, cell cycle maintenance, and the suppression of tumorigenesis. Increased expression of this gene may play a role in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and temporal lobe epilepsy. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding multiple isoforms have been observed for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2011].
Function: Involved in the activation cascade of caspases responsible for apoptosis execution. Might function by either activating some proteins required for cell death or inactivating proteins necessary for cell survival.