Caspase 8 is a caspase protein. It most likely acts upon caspase 3. This gene encodes a member of the cysteine-aspartic acid protease (caspase) family. The human CASP8 gene, whose product is also known as caspase 8 and FLICE, encodes an interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE)-related cysteine protease that is activated by the engagement of several different death receptors. Caspase 8 is immediately recruited to the Fas receptor once it oligomerizes, and its protease activity is crucial for the apoptotic response generated by the resulting death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). This gene contains at least 11 exons spanning approximately 30kb on human chromosome band 2q33-34. This region of human chromosome 2 was previously reported as the location of the CASP10 gene, whose product is closely related to caspase 8.Caspase-8 deficiency in humans is compatible with normal development and shows that caspase-8 has a postnatal role in immune activation of naive lymphocytes.