Rehabilitation of a contract killer: caspase-3 directs stem cell differentiation.
Activation of caspase-3 is generally acknowledged as a penultimate step in apoptotic cell death pathways. Two studies in this issue of Cell Stem Cell (Fujita et al., 2008; Janzen et al., 2008) provide compelling data to demonstrate that caspase-3 is also a conserved inductive cue for stem cell differentiation.
Abdul-Ghani
Mohammad
M
The Sprott Center for Stem Cell Research, Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Health Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
Megeney
Lynn A
LA
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
D053148:Caspase 3