The biochemistry of apoptosis

MO Hengartner - Nature, 2000 - nature.com
Nature, 2000nature.com
Apoptosis—the regulated destruction of a cell—is a complicated process. The decision to
die cannot be taken lightly, and the activity of many genes influence a cell's likelihood of
activating its self-destruction programme. Once the decision is taken, proper execution of the
apoptotic programme requires the coordinated activation and execution of multiple
subprogrammes. Here I review the basic components of the death machinery, describe how
they interact to regulate apoptosis in a coordinated manner, and discuss the main pathways …
Abstract
Apoptosis — the regulated destruction of a cell — is a complicated process. The decision to die cannot be taken lightly, and the activity of many genes influence a cell's likelihood of activating its self-destruction programme. Once the decision is taken, proper execution of the apoptotic programme requires the coordinated activation and execution of multiple subprogrammes. Here I review the basic components of the death machinery, describe how they interact to regulate apoptosis in a coordinated manner, and discuss the main pathways that are used to activate cell death.
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