title: The role of calcium in the regulation of apoptosis.
abstract: The recognition that apoptosis is regulated by an evolutionarily conserved set of polypeptides from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to humans suggests that a conserved set of biochemical mechanisms may also he involved in the response. Work from a number of independent laboratories suggests that alterations in cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis represent one such candidate mechanism, and molecular targets for Ca2+ are now being identified. This review will summarize what is known about the role of Ca2+ in the regulation of apoptosis and discuss how Ca2+ might interact with some of the other biochemical signals implicated in cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McConkey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orrenius
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D002518:Ceramides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000502:physiology; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D015398:Signal Transduction; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D011503:Transglutaminases; D004720:Endonucleases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D002118:Calcium