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Updated: Jun 4, 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

Apoptotic cell signaling in cancer progression and therapy

Jessica Plati1, Octavian Bucur, Roya Khosravi-Far

  • 1Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215, USA.

Integrative Biology : Quantitative Biosciences From Nano to Macro
|February 23, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is crucial for health. Its dysregulation drives cancer and drug resistance, highlighting key protein regulators like BCL-2 family, IAPs, and c-FLIP.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Molecular mechanisms of cell death
  • Cancer biology

Background:

  • Apoptosis is a regulated cell suicide process vital for tissue homeostasis.
  • Impaired apoptosis leads to uncontrolled cell growth, genetic instability, and cancer development.
  • Dysregulated apoptosis contributes to cancer cell drug resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the fundamental regulators of apoptosis.
  • To highlight their role in normal and cancer cell death pathways.
  • To discuss therapeutic strategies targeting apoptosis in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of apoptosis signaling pathways.
  • Analysis of key protein families regulating apoptosis: BCL-2 family, IAPs, and c-FLIP.
  • Discussion of therapeutic interventions targeting these regulators.

Main Results:

  • Apoptosis is controlled by complex signaling networks converging on key regulators.
  • BCL-2 family proteins, IAPs, and c-FLIP are central to apoptosis modulation.
  • Dysfunction of these regulators contributes to cancer resistance to cell death.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding apoptosis regulators is key to preventing and treating diseases like cancer.
  • Targeting BCL-2 family proteins, IAPs, and c-FLIP offers potential therapeutic strategies for cancer.
  • Modulating apoptosis pathways can overcome drug resistance in cancer cells.

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