Primers on molecular pathways--caspase pathway. Pancreatology 2009;9(1-2):6-8
Date
12/17/2008Pubmed ID
19077449DOI
10.1159/000178860Scopus ID
2-s2.0-57449121665 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 6 CitationsAbstract
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a physiological process of cellular autodestruction, or cell suicide. This process is strictly controlled in response to integrity of pro-death signaling and plays critical roles in development, maintenance of homeostasis and host defense in multicellular organisms. As pancreatologists, apoptosis plays a central role in the pancreas and its disease states, from diabetes to pancreatitis to pancreatic cancer. In pancreatic beta-cells, apoptotic cell death is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes, as signals from death receptors and DNA damage have been widely accepted as being triggers of apoptosis in beta-cells. During acute pancreatitis, this common clinical condition is of variable severity in which some patients experience mild, self-limited attacks while others manifest a severe, highly morbid, and frequently lethal attack. However, recent research in this area has demonstrated the importance of acinar cell death in the form of apoptosis and necrosis as a determinant of pancreatitis severity. In pancreatic cancer, various survival mechanisms have been shown to act in the prevention of cell death to result in promotion of tumor growth and metastasis. Thus, resistance of pancreatic cancer to apoptosis is the key factor preventing responses to therapies. Thus, it is for these reasons that in the current 'Primers on Molecular Pathways,' we take a closer look at the pathway cascade that is triggered during apoptosis.
Author List
Lomberk G, Urrutia RAuthors
Gwen Lomberk PhD Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity department at Medical College of WisconsinRaul A. Urrutia MD Center Director, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsApoptosis
Caspases
Humans
Metabolic Networks and Pathways
Pancreas
Pancreatic Neoplasms
Pancreatitis
