Calcium signaling and apoptosis.
Ca(2+) is one of the key regulators of cell survival, but Ca(2+) can also induce apoptosis in response to a variety of pathological conditions. The pro-apoptotic effects of Ca(2+) are mediated by a diverse range of Ca(2+)-sensitive factors that are compartmentalized in various intracellular organelles including the ER, cytoplasm, and mitochondria. The Ca(2+) dynamics of these organelles appear to be modulated by the apoptosis-regulating Bcl-2 family proteins. In this paper, the recent progress of research on the mechanisms mediating the apoptosis-regulating effects of Ca(2+) and the interactions of Bcl-2 family proteins with the Ca(2+) storage organelles are discussed.
Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Gyorgy.Hajnoczky@mail.tju.edu
György
G
Hajnóczky
Erika
E
Davies
Muniswamy
M
Madesh
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002470:Cell Survival; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D017136:Ion Transport; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000502:physiology
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D002118:Calcium