Apoptosis: Molecular Mechanisms

Apoptosis, derived from the Greek word for a natural process of leaves falling from trees or petals fromflowers, is a distinct form of programmed cell death. Although such programmed deaths were describedmany decades ago, the significance of apoptosis had been largely overlooked, particularly its relevance to disease. The improved understanding of apoptotic signalling pathways, and the cloning and characterization of proor antiapoptotic genes have attracted great interest to this process and raised the possibility that therapeutic strategies which alter apoptotic pathways may be useful in the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases, degenerative syndromes and other pathological conditions.