Control of the Intrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis

Abstract

Apoptosis is a cellular process of programmed cell death. The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis is triggered by mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, a point of no return that coincides with the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol where it activates the main effectors of cellular destruction: the caspases. The mitochondrial pathway that is centered on MOMP is tightly regulated by BCL2 family proteins, which includes some members that promote apoptosis and others that inhibit it. The interplay between these proteins with opposing roles determines whether a cell will die or survive. In a healthy cell, pro-survival BCL2 proteins inhibit the effector proteins BAX and BAK. BH3-only pro..