A Cellular Response to an Internal Energy Crisis

A Cellular Response to an Internal Energy Crisis

Lack of an appropriate energy supply has been thought to induce cell death in a nonspecific manner by causing a decline in metabolism and a gradual cessation of cellular function. In this issue of Cell, Nutt et al. (2005) describe a new mechanism that directly links nutrient availability to apoptosis in Xenopus oocytes and show that age-dependent changes in the nutritional state of a cell might...

Cellular response to ionizing radiation: A microRNA story

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They play a crucial role in diverse cellular pathways. Ionizing radiation (IR) is one of the most important treatment protocols for patients that suffer from cancer and affects directly or indirectly cellular integration. Recently it has been discovered that mi...

Cellular Energy Crisis: Particulate Hitchhikers Damage Mitochondria

Background: The malignant cells of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) display immunogenic peptides derived from the clonal T cell receptor (TCR) providing an attractive model for refinement of anti-tumor immunization methodology. To produce a clinically meaningful anti-tumor response, induction of cytotoxic anti-CTCL cells must be maximized while suppressive T regulatory cells (Treg) should be mi...

APP causes an energy crisis

In This Issue In This Issue RB pockets the cell cycle idely used cancer therapies inflict collateral damage on normal dividing cells. But now Lohez et al. (page 67) find a way to distinguish normally cycling cells from cancer cells using actin inhibitors that cause an RB-dependent cell cycle arrest. High levels of actin inhibitors prevent cell cleavage and thus lead to a doubling of cellular DN...

Trump’s Zero-tolerance Policy: Would a Political Response to a Humanitarian Crisis Work?