Apaf-1, or Apoptotic Protease Activating Factor 1, is a protein that plays a crucial role in the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, which is a form of programmed cell death. This protein is encoded by the APAF1 gene in humans. Apaf-1 is primarily involved in the formation of the apoptosome, a multiprotein complex essential for the activation of caspase-9, leading to a cascade of events that result in apoptosis.
