Apoptosis: The Molecular Biology of Programmed Cell Death (Frontiers in Molecular Biology, 40)

Apoptosis is a regulated form of cell demise that can be induced or blocked by groups of specific stimuli. Occurring in all living tissues, it is thought critical to the maintenance of homeostasis and is implicated in lowering susceptibility to tumour growth. Conversely, over-sensitivity to apoptotic triggers can cause cells to be lost inappropriately from tissues, as appears to occur in neurodegenerative diseases. This book examines the molecular pathways regulating apoptosis, progressing from the nematode worm through Drosphila to the more complex pathways evident in mammalian cells. Differences in the cell death pathway within specific tissues are addressed, as are the different genes that may act to regulate progressive steps. xxiv, 321 pages : 25 cm Includes bibliographical references and index Why be interested in death? / Nicola J. McCarthy -- Programmed cell death in C. elegans : the genetic framework / Ding Xue, Yi-Chun Wu, and Manisha S. Shah -- Genetic and molecular analysis of programmed cell death in Drosophila / Andreas Bergmann and Hermann Steller -- The caspases : consequential cleavage / Natalie Roy and Michael H. Cardone -- Regulation of apoptosis by the Bcl-2 family of proteins / Yoshihide Tsujimoto -- Mitochondria in apoptosis : Pandora's Box / Naoufal Zamzami, Santos A. Susin, and Guido Kroemer -- Apoptosis : lessons from cell-free systems / Paul R. Clarke --Death signalling by the CD95/TNFR family of death domain containing receptors / Nicola J. McCarthy and Martin R. Bennett -- Survival signalling by phosphorylation : PI3K/Akt sets the stage / Thomas F. Franke -- Viruses and apoptosis / David L. Vaux -- Cell death in the nervous system / Michael D. Jacobson and Louise Bergeron This work is intended for postgraduate students in cell biology, postdoctoral researchers new to the field, advanced undergraduates, postgraduate medical students, and clinicians undertaking research training in the area. Apoptosis examines how the process of cell suicide (apoptosis) is regulated, and how our understanding of this process may lead to novel treatments for a wide variety of human diseases