Caspase-6 has known functions in apoptosis,[8] early immune response[9][10] and neurodegeneration in Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease.

[11] This gene encodes a protein that is a member of the cysteine-aspartic acid protease (caspase) family.

Sequential activation of caspases plays a central role in the execution-phase of cell apoptosis.

[8] Caspases exist as inactive proenzymes that undergo proteolytic processing at conserved aspartic residues to produce two subunits, large and small, that dimerize to form the active enzyme.

[12] Alternative splicing of this gene results in two transcript variants that encode different isoforms.