{"database":"GEO","file_versions":[{"headers":{"Content-Type":["application/json"]},"body":{"files":{"Other":["ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/series/GSE304nnn/GSE304289/"]},"type":"primary"},"statusCodeValue":200,"statusCode":"OK"}],"scores":null,"additional":{"omics_type":["Transcriptomics"],"species":["Mus musculus"],"gds_type":["Expression profiling by array"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE304289"],"repository":["GEO"],"entry_type":["GSE"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Caspase-3 Control of RNA Splicing and Mitochondrial Dynamics in Microglia during Parkinson’s Disease","description":"Caspase-3, a cysteine-aspartic protease canonically known for its role in apoptotic cell death, has been implicated in several non-apoptotic functions, particularly in microglia, the brain-resident macrophages. These novel functions appear to depend on distinct levels of caspase-3 activation; however, the role of basal caspase-3 activity remains unclear. Here, we show that basal caspase-3 regulates RNA splicing in microglia, and its inhibition in a Parkinson´s disease (PD) model leads to splicing dysregulation. Loss of basal caspase-3 activity also increases double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) accumulation, inducing a type I interferon response. Additionally, caspase-3 deficiency impairs mitochondrial respiration, reduces ATP production, and causes sex-specific mitochondrial abnormalities, predominantly in female microglia. Together, our findings uncover a non-apoptotic, homeostatic role for basal caspase-3 activity in microglia. Its disruption, such as in PD, may drive key molecular features of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, positioning caspase-3 as a critical regulator of microglial function in health and disease.","dates":{"publication":"2026/08/06"},"accession":"GSE304289","cross_references":{"GSM":["GSM9146835","GSM9146824","GSM9146823","GSM9146834","GSM9146833","GSM9146822","GSM9146832","GSM9146821","GSM9146820","GSM9146831","GSM9146830","GSM9146819","GSM9146818","GSM9146829","GSM9146828","GSM9146817","GSM9146838","GSM9146827","GSM9146816","GSM9146815","GSM9146826","GSM9146837","GSM9146825","GSM9146836"],"GPL":["23038"],"GSE":["304289"],"taxon":["Mus musculus"]}}