Current concepts of apoptosis.
Apoptosis is a carefully regulated process involved in developmental and immunological events. The alteration of apoptotic pathways is important in the establishment and progression of neoplasia. Apoptosis allows for the orderly removal of excess cells but, in contrast to necrosis, it is not an inflammatory process. Many of the molecular components and effectors of apoptosis have been described. In this review the authors briefly discuss the current understanding of apoptosis in the context of the two prevailing hypotheses, the "conflicting signal" and "dual signal" theories.
Harter
D H
DH
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
Doherty
P F
PF
Chin
L S
LS