Portrait of a killer: the mitochondrial apoptosome emerges from the shadows.
Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a physiological process used to eliminate superfluous, damaged, infected, or aged cells in multicellular organisms. During apoptosis the cellular architecture is dismantled from within in a highly controlled fashion. Members of the caspase family of cysteine proteases are responsible for the destructive phase of apoptosis. One major pathway to caspase activation involves the formation of a multisubunit protease activation complex called the apoptosome. The apoptosome is assembled in response to signals that provoke mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Recent studies indicate that the apoptosome is a wheel-like structure consisting of seven molecules of Apaf-1 and a similar number of caspase-9 dimers. Knowledge of the structure of the apoptosome will likely lead to the design of therapeutic modulators of apoptosis.
Hill
Michelle M
MM
Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Smurfit Institute, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Adrain
Colin
C
Martin
Seamus J
SJ
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D053477:Apoptotic Protease-Activating Factor 1; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000502:physiology*; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D019281:Dimerization; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
C506592:APAF1 protein, human; D053477:Apoptotic Protease-Activating Factor 1; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides; D011506:Proteins; C506433:CASP9 protein, human; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases; C026600:2'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate