The apoptosome: signalling platform of cell death.
Recent work on the initial switches that trigger cell death has revealed surprising inventions of nature that ensure the ordered suicide of a cell that has been selected for demise. Particularly intriguing is how a signal--the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria--is translated into the activation of the death cascade, which leads to a point of no return. Now there is new understanding of how this crucial process is delicately handled by a cytosolic signalling platform known as the apoptosome. The formation of the apoptosome and the activation of its effector, caspase-9, reveals a sophisticated mechanism that might be more common than was initially thought.
Riedl
Stefan J
SJ
Program in Apoptosis and Cell Death Research, The Burnham Institute for Medical Research, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. sriedl@burnham.org
Salvesen
Guy S
GS
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D053478:Apoptosomes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D053470:Caspases, Effector / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D053471:Caspases, Initiator / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides / Q000502:physiology; D019281:Dimerization; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015398:Signal Transduction
D053478:Apoptosomes; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D053470:Caspases, Effector; D053471:Caspases, Initiator; C026600:2'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate