Apoptosis: mechanisms of life and death in the immune system
1Department of Immunology, University of Colorado Medical School, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
Abstract:
When normal cells die, it is almost always by the process of apoptosis, which is a morphologic description. Some cells die readily and are rapidly replaced; others live as long as we do. Because apoptotic morphology is similar from cell to cell, researchers have embarked on an intense search for a common underlying biochemical process. There is an apoptotic mechanism or cell death program, which is expressed in embryos and throughout life. Most tissues, and especially the skin, gut, and immune system, depend on well-ordered apoptosis and cell replacement. Apoptosis can fail to occur, as in the newly described autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, or be turned on pathologically, as in degenerative diseases. We would like to induce apoptosis in dangerous cells or block it to preserve valuable cells. We need to know more about how apoptosis is regulated and what we can do to influence the process.
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