title: Mitochondrial regulation of cell death: processing of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF).
abstract: Apoptosis might proceed through the activation of both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways. Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) was discovered as the first protein that mediated caspase-independent cell death. Initially, it was regarded as a soluble protein residing in the intermembrane space of mitochondria, from where it could be exported to the nucleus to participate in large-scale DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation. However, later it was demonstrated that AIF is N-terminally anchored to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Hence, AIF must be liberated from its membrane anchor prior to being released into the cytosol. The current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms regulating the processing and release of AIF from the mitochondria will be summarized and discussed in this review.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Toxicology Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Norberg
authors.forename: Sten
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orrenius
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhivotovsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D051033:Apoptosis Inducing Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051033:Apoptosis Inducing Factor; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002118:Calcium