title: Of elections and cell-death decisions.
abstract: A new study in the journal Nature (Spencer et al., 2009) argues that cell-to-cell variation in the decision to undergo apoptosis is not due to genetic, epigenetic, or cell-cycle differences, nor due to random molecular noise, but instead is determined by differences in protein abundances.
authors.affiliation: Signaling Systems Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loriaux
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003657:Decision Making; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D011057:Politics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand / Q000378:metabolism; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand