Redundant cell death mechanisms as relics and backups.
Here we review recent observations indicating the existence of redundant cell death mechanisms. We speculate that this redundancy reflects a particular evolutionary history for cellular demise. Autophagic or apoptotic elements might have been added to a primordial death mechanism, initially improving cell dismantling and later acquiring the ability to act themselves as death effectors. The resulting redundancy of cell death mechanisms has pathophysiological implications.
Golstein
P
P
Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, CNRS-INSERM-Université de la Mediterranée, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Case 906, 13288 Marseille cedex 9, France. golstein@ciml.univ-mrs.fr
Kroemer
G
G
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016923:Cell Death; D015398:Signal Transduction