Mitochondrial apoptotic pathways.
Apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD) is a physiological process characteristic of pluricellular organisms leading to self-destruction of the cell. It is therefore involved in development, homeostasis and host defense. However, a significant difference has been shown between mammalian cell apoptosis and non-mammalian cell apoptosis: mitochondria are implicated only in the former. Execution of PCD includes the release of several proapoptotic proteins from the intermembrane space of mitochondria. They could exert their actions through a caspase dependent as well as a caspase independent way. On the other hand, regulation of PCD is mainly given by the Bcl-2 family members, which are in turn essentially regulated by activation of death receptors and/or DNA damage. Nowadays, execution of apoptosis is better known than its regulation. Nevertheless, we are still far of a complete understanding of the apoptotic process.
Mohamad
Nora
N
Radioisotopes Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gutiérrez
Alicia
A
Núñez
Mariel
M
Cocca
Claudia
C
Martín
Gabriela
G
Cricco
Graciela
G
Medina
Vanina
V
Rivera
Elena
E
Bergoc
Rosa
R
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009336:Necrosis; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D045304:Cytochromes c; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases; C052391:endonuclease G; D020169:Caspases