Mitochondrial disappearance from cells: a clue to the role of autophagy in programmed cell death and disease?

AM Tolkovsky, L Xue, GC Fletcher, V Borutaite - Biochimie, 2002 - Elsevier
When cells are induced to undergo apoptosis in the presence of general caspase inhibitors
and then returned to their normal growth environment, there follows an extended period of
life during which the entire cohort of mitochondria (including mitochondrial DNA) disappears
from the cells. This phenomenon is widespread; it occurs in NGF-deprived sympathetic
neurons, in NGF-maintained neurons treated with cytosine arabinoside, and in diverse cell
lines treated with staurosporine, including HeLa, CHO, 3T3 and Rat 1 cells. Mitochondrial …