The Mitochondrial Pathway of Apoptosis
Part I: MOMP and Beyond
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
- Correspondence: douglas.green{at}stjude.org
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
MITOCHONDRIA AND CELL DEATH
The major mode of apoptosis in vertebrates is the mitochondrial pathway. This pathway of cell death is engaged by a vast array of cell stresses, including deprivation of growth factors, disruption of the cytoskeleton, DNA damage, accumulation of unfolded proteins, hypoxia, and many others. It is also activated by developmental signals, such as hormones, that instruct cells to die. In this review, we discuss how mitochondria are involved in the activation of caspases in this type of cell death.
A JUST-SO STORY
Before examining the remarkable way in which mitochondria effect apoptosis, it might be worth considering how this organelle might have become involved in cell death—after all, in nearly all eukaryotes, mitochondria are essential for life, providing not only energy via the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, but also many other essential services to the cell. These include lipid metabolism and the ability to live in the toxic world of oxygen. …
