Apoptosis: definition, mechanisms, and relevance to disease
Jeffrey Weinberg1999, The American Journal of Medicine
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Abstract
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The article discusses apoptosis as a crucial form of programmed cell death, distinguishing it from necrosis and highlighting its implications in various diseases. It elaborates on the mechanisms of apoptosis, its regulatory processes, and the pathological relevance of alterative apoptotic activities in conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers. Emphasizing the dual roles of excessive and deficient apoptosis, the paper underscores the importance of understanding these processes in the context of disease mechanisms to improve therapeutic strategies.
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Bid Cyto c Initiator caspase-9 Endo G AIF Endoplasmic reticulum IP3R ER Stress (misfolded proteins) Plasma Membrane Procaspase-12 TRAF2 Ca ++ Ca ++ Apaf-1 Bcl-2/ Bcl-x L Mitochondria Bcl-2/ Bcl-x L Effector Caspases APOPTOSIS APOPTOSIS APOPTOSIS Effector Caspases Nucleus Initiator Caspase-12 Death domain FIGURE 1.4: The two main pathways for the initiation of apoptosis: the extrinsic pathway and the intrinsic pathway (S. Gupta, A.
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