Regulation of Apoptosis in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Apoptosis, the prototype and most common mechanism of programmed cell death eliminates unwanted cells during development as well as in tissue homeostasis in adulthood or in disease states. This term, which in Greek means the seasonal falling of leaves from the trees, was coined by Kerr JF, Wyllie AH, and Currie AR in 1972 to portray the biological phenomenon of natural cell death. Over the last few years, additional forms of programmed cell death have been identified that also play critical roles in normal and pathological physiology. These different cell death pathways, in addition to unique molecular players, engage several signaling components and master regulators of the apoptotic machinery. In mammals, apoptosis is regulated by two major pathways, which are both hallmarked by the activation of effector caspases: the intrinsic or mitochondrial pathway, which is initiated by alterations in the microenvironmental milieu and controlled by the Bcl-2 family of proteins; and the extrinsic or dead-receptor-mediated pathway, which is activated by plasma membrane death receptors and plays a fundamental role in homeostasis maintenance and immune system function. A characteristic feature of apoptosis is the rapid removal of the dying cells by professional and non-professional phagocytes, exemplified by the so-called “find me” and “eat me” signals that are released during the early stages of this process. Inefficient apoptotic clearance may result in developmental defects or compromise tissue homeostasis and the health of the organism.

The field of apoptosis research has shown remarkable progress and is still evolving rapidly. The delineation of the molecular mechanisms of this process has already provided new insights for the development of strategies to treat serious human diseases. The present Special Issue aims to highlight some of the newest advances in the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis, in particular those linking the apoptotic machinery with other fundamental processes of the cell, including but not limited to ciliogenesis, asymmetric division, senescence, and apoptotic clearance.

Prof. Dr. Theologos Michaelidis
Guest Editor

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• apoptosis
• mitochondria
• caspases
• Bcl-2 proteins
• developmental cell death
• apoptotic clearance
• phagocytosis
• primary cilium
• centrosome
• senescence
• autoimmune disorders
• cancer neurodegeneration
• genetic programme
• epigenetics