Molecular signature of anastasis for reversal of apoptosis

Anastasis (Greek for "rising to life") is a cell recovery phenomenon that rescues dying cells from the brink of cell death. We recently discovered anastasis to occur after the execution-stage of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Promoting anastasis could in principle preserve injured cells that are difficult to replace, such as cardiomyocytes and neurons. Conversely, arresting anastasis in dying cancer cells after cancer therapies could improve treatment efficacy. To develop new therapies that promote or inhibit anastasis, it is essential to identify the key regulators and mediators of anastasis - the therapeutic targets. Therefore, we performed time-course microarray analysis to explore the molecular mechanisms of anastasis during reversal of ethanol-induced apoptosis in mouse primary liver cells. We found striking changes in transcription of genes involved in multiple pathways, including early activation of pro-cell survival, anti-oxidation, cell cycle arrest, histone modification, DNA-damage and stress-inducible responses, and at delayed times, angiogenesis and cell migration. Validation with RT-PCR confirmed similar changes in the human liver cancer cell line, HepG2, during anastasis. Here, we present the time-course whole-genome gene expression dataset revealing gene expression profiles during the reversal of apoptosis. This dataset provides important insights into the physiological, pathological, and therapeutic implications of anastasis.