It has long been suggested that alternative splicing is involved in regulation of apoptosis by producing mRNA isoforms that encode proteins with distinct and even opposite functions in apoptotic pathways. However, the physiological functions and regulatory mechanisms of such alternative splicing events have been unclear. Recently, it was demonstrated that inactivation of a single SR protein, ASF/SF2, can modulate a specific step in the apoptotic pathway, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, by regulating ICAD pre-mRNA alternative splicing. These studies have provided new evidence supporting the important role of regulated splicing and SR proteins in the process of apoptosis.