BACKGROUND During the development of the central nervous system, large numbers of cells die by programmed cell death. This process requires the activity of specific gene products and subserves functions that include regulating the sizes of interacting cell populations and removing cells that provide transient functions. Resolution of programmed cell death often involves the elimination of dying...

The term apoptosis often has been used interchangeably with the term programmed cell death. Here we describe a form of programmed cell death that is distinct from apoptosis by the criteria of morphology, biochemistry, and response to apoptosis inhibitors. Morphologically, this alternative form of programmed cell death appears during development and in some cases of neurodegeneration. Despite it...

Jun N-terminal kinases or JNKs have been shown to be involved in a wide array of signaling events underlying tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Through its interaction with a diverse set of signaling proteins and adaptors, JNKs regulate cell proliferation, invasive migration, therapy resistance, and programmed cell death. JNKs have been shown to play a role in apoptotic as well as non-apoptot...