The biochemistry of apoptosis.
Apoptosis--the regulated destruction of a cell--is a complicated process. The decision to die cannot be taken lightly, and the activity of many genes influence a cell's likelihood of activating its self-destruction programme. Once the decision is taken, proper execution of the apoptotic programme requires the coordinated activation and execution of multiple subprogrammes. Here I review the basic components of the death machinery, describe how they interact to regulate apoptosis in a coordinated manner, and discuss the main pathways that are used to activate cell death.
Hengartner
M O
MO
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York 11724, USA. hengartn@cshl.org
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology
D020169:Caspases