Regulatory Status Legend

Description

Apoptosis is a selective process of genetically programmed cell death which occurs during normal cellular differentiation and development of multicellular organisms. This process is also involved in tissue homeostasis, pathological conditions and aging. Cells undergoing apoptosis are characterized by cell volume loss, plasma membrane blebbing, nuclear condensation, and endonucleolytic degradation of DNA at nucleosomal intervals. In vertebrates, T cell development in the thymus and development of the nervous system are probably the best characterized systems for the study of programmed cell death. Studies of the bcl-2 oncogene suggest additional pathways that may involve other proteins that could regulate Bcl-2 activity. Several new Bcl-2 related proteins, such as Bcl-x and Bad, have been discovered, along with the isolation of other new proteins with a role in apoptosis.