Apoptosis signaling

Abstract

Apoptosis, a physiological process for killing cells, is critical for the normal development and function of multicellular organisms. Abnormalities in cell death control can contribute to a variety of diseases, including cancer, autoimmunity, and degenerative disorders. Signaling for apoptosis occurs through multiple independent pathways that are initiated either from triggering events within the cell or from outside the cell, for instance, by ligation of death receptors. All apoptosis signaling pathways converge on a common machinery of cell destruction that is activated by a family of cysteine proteases (caspases) that cleave proteins at aspartate residues. Dismantling and removal of doome..