title: Mitochondria in neutrophil apoptosis.
abstract: Central in the regulation of the short life span of neutrophils are their mitochondria. These organelles hardly contribute to the energy status of neutrophils but play a vital role in the apoptotic process. Not only do the mitochondria contain cytotoxic proteins that are released during apoptosis and contribute to caspase activation, but they also act as sensors of the metabolic and redox state of the cell and as scavengers of free Ca2+. The balance of the expression and activity of the proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins determines the life span of neutrophils, because these proteins are essential for the formation of a permeability transition pore in the mitochondria and also seem to control the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum and thereby mitochondrial energy metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Blood Cell Research, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: van Raam
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kuijpers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D020169:Caspases; D002118:Calcium