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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Monitoring Dynamic Changes In Mitochondrial Calcium Levels During Apoptosis Using A Genetically Encoded Calcium Sensor
Published on: April 1, 2011
Mitochondrial regulation of apoptotic cell death
Vladimir Gogvadze1, Sten Orrenius
1Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Mitochondria play a decisive role in the regulation of both apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane and subsequent release of intermembrane space proteins are important features of both models of cell death. The mechanisms by which these proteins are released depend presumably on cell type and the nature of stimuli. Of the mechanisms involved, mitochondrial permeability transition appears to be associated mainly with necrosis, whereas the release of caspase activating proteins during early apoptosis is regulated primarily by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. However, there is increasing evidence for interaction and co-operation between these two mechanisms. The multiple mechanisms of mitochondrial permeabilization may explain diversities in the response of mitochondria to numerous apoptotic stimuli in different types of cells.
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