Hypothesis: apoptosis caused by cytotoxins represents a defensive response that evolved to combat intracellular pathogens

Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology
D L Vaux, G Häcker

Abstract

1. Over 100 different agents have been shown, under certain circumstances, to cause apoptosis, a form of cell death with characteristic morphology. In most cases, the mechanism of cell death is likely to be the same, as expression of the cell death inhibitory gene bcl-2 can frequently prevent apoptotic changes and/or delay cell death. 2. These observations raise the question of how and why cells detect these agents and why they respond by implementing the suicide mechanism that bcl-2 can control. Our hypothesis is that apoptosis is used as an anti-viral strategy, and that cells interpret any metabolic disturbance as evidence of infection by a virus and thereby kill themselves in response to these toxins before they are killed by the action of the toxin itself. 3. Experiments on the effect of sodium azide upon growth factor-dependent cells support this idea. Bcl-2 can delay cell death caused by azide, and inhibit apoptotic changes seen by electron microscopy, but cannot prevent the eventual death of the cells. 4. These ideas suggest that drugs designed to regulate cell death may be useful for the treatment of ischaemic or neoplastic diseases. For example, human cells may activate a suicide pathway in response to sub-lethal amoun...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 16, 1998·Springer Seminars in Immunopathology·D L Vaux
Jan 1, 1997·Annual Review of Microbiology·D E Griffin, J M Hardwick
Nov 9, 2000·British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·S PaceA M Evans
Jan 9, 1998·Baillière's Clinical Haematology·P G Ekert, D L Vaux
Feb 13, 1999·Cell·D L Vaux, S J Korsmeyer
Jun 12, 2013·Microbes and Infection·Georg Häcker
Nov 4, 2017·Cell Death and Differentiation·Andreas Strasser, David L Vaux
Mar 18, 2020·Infection and Immunity·Dominik BrokatzkyGeorg Häcker
Mar 3, 2020·Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology·Lei QinWeixia Wang
Jun 8, 2002·FEMS Microbiology Letters·Georg Häcker, Silke F Fischer
Jan 1, 2018·Cell Death and Differentiation·Andreas Strasser, David L Vaux
Jan 1, 1996·Pharmacology & Therapeutics·A G Uren, D L Vaux

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BLC-2 family proteins are a group that share the same homologous BH domain. They play many different roles including pro-survival signals, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and removal or damaged cells. They are often regulated by phosphorylation, affecting their catalytic activity. Here is the latest research on BCL-2 family proteins.

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