Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death
09:18

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death

Published on: December 27, 2016

Signal transduction and the regulation of apoptosis: roles of ceramide

G S Dbaibo1, Y A Hannun

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.

Apoptosis : an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death
|December 4, 2003
PubMed

Insights

This review details molecular regulators of apoptosis, focusing on ceramide

Area of Science:

  • Molecular biology
  • Cellular biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a crucial biological process.
  • Dysregulation of apoptosis is implicated in various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
  • Understanding apoptosis signaling pathways is vital for therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent discoveries in the molecular regulation of apoptosis.
  • To highlight the roles of key protein families and signaling molecules in cell death.
  • To emphasize the function of ceramide in stress response and cell injury detection.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent scientific publications.
  • Synthesis of information on apoptosis signaling pathways, death receptors, caspases, Bcl-2 family, ceramide, and p53.
  • Focus on the role of ceramide in cellular stress and injury.

Main Results:

  • Apoptosis involves complex signaling pathways converging on proteases and endonucleases.
  • Key regulators include death receptors, caspase family proteases, Bcl-2 family proteins, ceramide, and p53.
  • Ceramide emerges as a significant coordinator of cellular stress responses and a sensor of cell injury.

Conclusions:

  • The molecular landscape of apoptosis is intricate and rapidly evolving.
  • Ceramide plays a multifaceted role in orchestrating cell death pathways.
  • Further research into these regulators may yield novel therapeutic strategies for diseases involving apoptosis.

More Related Videos

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry05:29

Measuring Caspase Activity Using a Fluorometric Assay or Flow Cytometry

Published on: March 24, 2023

Measuring Composition of CD95 Death-Inducing Signaling Complex and Processing of Procaspase-8 in this Complex07:17

Measuring Composition of CD95 Death-Inducing Signaling Complex and Processing of Procaspase-8 in this Complex

Published on: August 2, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Caspases01:24

Caspases

Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside cells.
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
Apoptosis01:30

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size reduction of the tissue.
Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:43

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...
Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:43

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...