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An Introduction to the Molecular Mechanisms of Apoptosis

Authors :
Franck Morceau
Sylvie Delhalle
Marc Diederich
Michael Schnekenburger
Annelyse Duvoix
Mario Dicato
Source :
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1010:1-8
Publication Year :
2003
Publisher :
Wiley, 2003.

Abstract

Apoptosis is a type of cell death that has been observed and studied for more than a century. The process of apoptosis was described as “programmed cell death” in 1964, and the term apoptosis, from a Greek word meaning “to fall away from” and describing the fall of dead leaves from trees in autumn, was only coined in 1972. During the last 30 years, this type of cell death has been extensively investigated and the molecular mechanisms underlying this cell suicide well characterized. Apoptosis is a physiological phenomenon necessary to tissue and body genesis and homeostasis, but defects in its regulation may cause numerous diseases, including cancer. Investigating the mechanisms of apoptosis is thus important to discover new cellular regulators that could be potential targets for new death-inducing drugs.

Details

ISSN :
00778923
Volume :
1010
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....df259908165e2647675ef1d1f2575e9c
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1299.001