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Related Concept Videos

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.
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy01:22

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
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...
Mutations01:35

Mutations

Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...

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Molecular markers of apoptosis in cancer patients exposed to ionizing radiation: the post-Chornobyl view.

Experimental oncology·2017
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Delayed expression of hpS2 and prolonged expression of CIP1/WAF1/SDI1 in human tumour cells irradiated with X-rays, fission neutrons or 1 GeV/nucleon Fe ions.

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Survival of colorectal cancer cell lines treated with paclitaxel, radiation, and 5-FU: effect of TP53 or hMLH1 deficiency.

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Expression analysis of human HL60 cells exposed to 60 Hz square- or sine-wave magnetic fields.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry
08:21

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry

Published on: September 1, 2019

Apoptosis in radiation therapy: a double-edged sword.

E K Balcer-Kubiczek1

  • 1University of Maryland School of Medicine, Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. ekubicze@umaryland.edu

Experimental Oncology
|October 17, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Radiation therapy uses apoptosis and non-apoptotic cell death. Understanding these cell death pathways may refine radiobiological principles for fractionated radiation treatments, though their clinical roles require further definition.

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One-step Protocol for Evaluation of the Mode of Radiation-induced Clonogenic Cell Death by Fluorescence Microscopy
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One-step Protocol for Evaluation of the Mode of Radiation-induced Clonogenic Cell Death by Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 23, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry
08:21

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry

Published on: September 1, 2019

One-step Protocol for Evaluation of the Mode of Radiation-induced Clonogenic Cell Death by Fluorescence Microscopy
06:47

One-step Protocol for Evaluation of the Mode of Radiation-induced Clonogenic Cell Death by Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 23, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Radiation oncology
  • Molecular biology
  • Cell death pathways

Background:

  • Radiation therapy's efficacy relies on inducing apoptosis and non-apoptotic cell death.
  • Current radiobiological principles (reoxygenation, repair, redistribution, repopulation) guide fractionated radiation therapy.
  • The linear-quadratic model is standard for calculating radiation effects but doesn't explicitly include apoptosis or non-apoptotic cell death.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review cell death pathways relevant to fractionated radiation therapy.
  • To explore how molecular understanding of cell death can revise radiobiological principles.
  • To assess the role of apoptosis and non-apoptotic cell death in radiosensitivity and tumor characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of molecular mechanisms of cell death.
  • Analysis of existing radiobiological models and their limitations.
  • Discussion of the interplay between cell death pathways and tumor biology.

Main Results:

  • Apoptosis and non-apoptotic cell death are crucial for radiation therapy's effects.
  • The linear-quadratic model does not account for these cell death modes.
  • Understanding other cell death forms like autophagy and senescence is advancing.

Conclusions:

  • Reassessing the role of apoptosis and non-apoptotic cell death in radiosensitivity is warranted.
  • The clinical significance of these cell death pathways depends on tumor type, size, and stage.
  • Future research should quantify the impact of dose and fractionation on cell death induction and pathway interactions.