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Apoptosis: suicide, execution or murder?

S J Martin1

  • 1Department of Immunology, University College London Medical School, Arthur Stanley House, 40-50 Tottenham Street, London, UK W1P 9PG.

Trends in Cell Biology
|May 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Apoptosis, a controlled cell death process, may involve a single pathway accessible at various points. Recent studies challenge earlier findings, suggesting protein synthesis inhibition can also trigger apoptosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a tightly regulated biological process.
  • Initial research suggested de novo protein synthesis was essential for thymocyte apoptosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the regulation of apoptosis.
  • To discuss the evidence for a single, multi-accessible pathway for apoptosis.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on apoptosis regulation.
  • Analysis of studies involving protein and RNA synthesis inhibition.

Main Results:

  • Conflicting findings exist regarding the necessity of de novo protein synthesis for apoptosis.
  • Some studies demonstrate apoptosis induction upon blocking protein synthesis.
  • Inhibition of protein or RNA synthesis can also trigger apoptosis in certain cell types.

Conclusions:

  • The regulation of apoptosis may involve a unified pathway.
  • This pathway appears to be accessible through multiple regulatory points.
  • Further research is needed to reconcile differing experimental observations.

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