title: Apoptosis and cytochrome c release in cerebellar granule cells.
abstract: In the light of both the major role played by released cytochrome c in apoptosis of a variety of cells and the availability of cerebellar granule cells as a model system to investigate apoptosis as a function of time from induction to cell death, we review data aimed at elucidating the events dealing with cytochrome c release from mitochondria as well as its role outside mitochondria. We report cytochrome c release in the apoptosis time course as dependent on the function of both the antioxidant and proteolytic systems. We show that, beside the role played by cytochrome c in participating in apoptosome formation and in triggering the caspase cascade, at least in cerebellar granule cells, released cytochrome c can maintain its ability to work as an electron carrier, being a scavenger of reactive oxygen species and an electron donor to cytochrome oxidase, thus driving the ATP synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biomembrane e Bioenergetica, CNR, Via G Amendola, 165/A - 70126 Bari.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bobba
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Atlante
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Bari
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Passarella
authors.forename: Ersilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D045304:Cytochromes c