Apoptosis, guardian of the genome: Review

Abstract

Apoptosis has attracted great attention in the last two decades and the number of publications related to apoptosis has been growing exponentially. The revolution that has occurred in apoptosis research is a direct result of a better understanding of the genetic program and biochemical mechanisms of apoptosis. Apoptosis is not only a common normal event but also essential for the growth and development of organisms. In the adult, apoptosis is mostly abnormal, but in its absence or failure cancer cells obtain immortality by escaping this type of cell death. Apoptosis works synergistically in intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. The first pathway is initiated by the cell itself in response to stress. The second is initiated via death receptors stimulated by cells of the immune system. This review is an attempt to answer questions like: Why is cell death important to study? How cells undergo apoptosis? What controls the decision between life and death? Which cellular events could cause the control of apoptosis to be impaired? The literature cited below shows some sort of unity in the scientific community on the necessity of a sophisticated balance between “pro-survival” and “pro-death” forces to ensure the happiness of cells in multicellular organisms